Fearful was I as I stand in wait for him. That same fear pushes me onward, hustling our child right along, and I think my neck will snap from the strain of turning to look around so much. A low growl bubbles within my throat, threatening to spill over and terrorize even the birds. I needed to make sure that Zeus was okay - could he be okay? Could I be okay? What did I do now?! As my thoughts flip over one another they begin to grow larger. Larger than I can contain and it is a task to straighten and sort them out. To calm the racing beat of my heart so that I can breath in a less panicked manner. It helps when my steel gray eyes turn to spy him, glorious Zeus, lying near the river. The sun seems to beam off of his figure; it allows him an otherworldly light and for a second I am stunned by his beauty, stunned by his presence, and stunned at his still being alive.

"Zeus!" I say, my voice breathless in my relief as I bound towards him, pausing midway to spin back around and race back to Nike, ushering him forward in a less than patient manner. Then I am overcome once more by my need of Zeus, having felt so alone for so long, but I wasn't alone. I was confusing myself again - I hadn't been lonely, but now with Zeus I felt like maybe I had. I don't know what I was. Lost, I guessed. We had never been particularly touchy even when he had claimed me as his mate but I am undone by the sight of him so I step forward and thrust my muzzle into the thickness of his neck. I breath him in and it fortifies me.

Only then do I pull back, blinking in shock at the loss of his eye, gaze slowly falling down to his mauled paw. Was it broken? I had no clue, clearly I was not the best for learning the healing arts with my breaking mind. "I thought you were gone for sure," I say and my voice sounds tiny. I blink furiously, embedding his visage in my eyes before I glance at Nike and my countenance softens. "Look, Zeus, look who I have brought. Is he not perfection? He looks like you." Because to me, Zeus is perfect, even if I had to hide from my doubt of his goodness in these moments. My mind couldn't take knowing he was the bad guy - not today but maybe tomorrow.