Nakato was unable to hide her pregnancy any longer. The winter was coming to a close and the lives within her belly had caused her to grow almost double in size. The healer looked like a balloon as she wobbled around the borders of the pack land. Since she started showing, the wolfess had avoided the wolves who shared Asteraia with her. She only left her den when she needed to hunt or take care of other businesses but she rarely spoke with others and certainly not Tick Tock. She had yet to gain permission to have cubs and the healer feared the worst for her children.

This is why she now moved along the borders, including her scent with those of the patrols and alphas. It wasn’t much, but she still wanted to help her pack mates while also avoiding them. Not expecting to find anything dangerous, she was started to find a scent lingering along the edge of her home. On high alert, she moved carefully as she tried to locate who ever left the smell behind. And then she saw him, stalking the boundaries like a shadow. Hackles raised in alarm and a growl echoed from within her chest. It was him, the stranger from the valley!

Part of her wanted to call out to the Monster, but then she remembered her swollen belly and stayed her howl. She was sure he could see her, it wasn’t like she was hard to miss, but she took a moment to calm her beating heart and think rationally. It wasn’t in her nature to judge a wolf on their past choices. It was clear that many of the wolves here didn’t have a clean slate and still walked a dark path that Nakato couldn’t understand. But they were family and protected her, who was she to call them bad? Perhaps the same could be said about the stranger. He had seemed dangerous, but had not attacked her and even let her flee with her bob tail tucked as far as it could go. Maybe it was time to give him a second chance, discover what is real intentions were.

With this in mind, she wobble walks forward and meets him on the edge, staying a safe distance from him. Electric blue eyes stare at him with the confidence she had not felt out in the open lands all those months ago. She was home and held the power here. ”Hello again, stranger. What brings you to Asteraia?”