The heather painted male sat quietly, watching the subtle undercurrents of Tithe's reactions to his words. Though he was a wolf who had always done well to shield his inner emotions, there were some things that the eyes would always betray. Sleekwing could not be certain of the young male's thoughts, but he thought that Tithe seemed somewhat troubled by what he was told. Once more the mountain warrior had to remind himself that this wolf who lay before him had not been born to these lands, and the implications of imprinting were something new and foreign to him. It would take time to adjust to the knowledge imparted upon him this day, and only he could decide what to do with it. In Sleekwing's own case, the relationship formed with Malina had been unconventional. She had chosen a woman as her mate, but when they had desired to create a family of their own, it was Sleekwing they had turned to. He recalled how troubling of a choice it had been, but he would always do whatever was within his power to create a happy life for his imprint. He wondered, then, what Tithe's imprint might have, or might still, ask of him.

Tithe's gaze remained downcast as he asked more about the bond. He wished to know if there was a way to break it, or lessen its strength, and Sleekwing found himself curious just who the iron-clad male had imprinted upon. It was a challenging relationship, to be sure, but had he bonded with someone who he could not tolerate, who so vastly opposed his own views on life that he already sought a way to severe it? But there was a certain melancholy to the questions that made Sleekwing rethink his assumptions - had the female in question rejected Tithe? He had heard of it happening before, though it was rare. Sleekwing's heart ached at the mere notion of such a thing. If Malina had sent him away, would he have walked to the ends of the earth to shatter the bond and free her from his soul's keep? It was a steep slope to climb, and a question he was not sure he could answer on his own part.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the history of his own parents. "Death is the extreme way to severe the tie, though sometimes if the bond is too strong it will not release its counterpart. When my mother succumbed to her injuries after losing Spirane to a usurper, my father - healthy as he was - perished at her side." But death was not the only way to release a wolf from the bond, and he did not wish to leave Tithe with such a heavy burden as that. "Distance, too, has been known to severe the bond. It is said that if one of the wolves spends a year away from Moladion, the bond may shatter in the absence. Again, it is truly dependent upon the individual bonds. My parents were separated from one another for years after the skyfall, and when they were reunited the bond was still intact and as strong as ever."

Sleekwing shifted where he sat, wanting to ask Tithe questions about his own situation, but not wishing to overstep. Though he counted Tithe as a friend, he was more than that now. He had become the alpha of the mountains, and in doing so was Sleekwing's superior. Even so, he had sought the older male out, and if he could, he hoped to ease some of the young male's worries. "The bond can be overpowering when it is first established - volatile and hard to understand. But give it time, Tithe. It took Malina and I time to find an equilibrium that we were both comfortable with, but now there is no wolf I trust more than her - bonded or not." He knew how heavy much of the information he had shared with Tithe this day was, but he hoped that this could offer some solace.