LIKE A WALK IN THE PARK, LIKE A HOLE IN YOUR HEAD

Warmth began to seep back into her muscles as Eden moved to shield her. He did not speak but she knew that he was listening; his body language, typically unreadable, was almost primal in the sense that it was a raw and unheard of reaction to a terrible and hideous crime. Ehiyeh had not wanted this, this anger on her behalf- it had not been her intention in coming home. But his coiled muscles and his prickled fur comforted her. Perhaps she had been too weak to stop him, but she had a wolf with the strength of a mountain lion behind her. She knew, in this moment, that her assailant would live in constant fear, should he live for very long at all.

Ehiyeh moved towards Eden when he motioned towards her, finding comfort in the closeness. She had, on her way home, thought often of the loving nature of the male. He had not been aggressive. He had seemed confused, scared, and sad- and the way that he had crumpled in the snow when he had completed his actions had been troubling. She wondered if he felt guilty. The woman trembled slightly, her muzzle reaching outwards to rub against her father's. She could feel his breath on her fur- he was searching for the scent of that terrible man, searching past the smell of blood and fear that cloaked her. But his scent would be replaced. It would not cling to her, she would not let it.

Her eyes closed as Eden began to speak, his first words renewing her sense of belonging, of acceptance. It was good to know that she was not viewed as being at fault. Ehiyeh did not know what she would have done, had the knowledge of her attack become a stain on her reputation. She listened as he spoke, affirming her original thought that the male was a dead wolf, living on borrowed time until he was discovered and culled. It was a truly evil thing that he had done, but had he had evil intentions? The thought disturbed her, and she chose not to think about it. His intentions were irrelevant. He had done something so heinous that, no matter the intent, he deserved punishment tenfold. He had taken something precious, and now the most precious thing he had would be taken from him- life.

She hummed softly in approval of what Eden said. His last statement would, she assumed, give her the strength to piece herself together. But there was something else, something that she could sense beyond the churning in her stomach and the trembling of her body. "What about the piece he has given me?" Ehiyeh's eyes opened and she pulled back slightly to meet Eden's eyes. Her violet stare, albeit softer, had nearly the same intensity and piercing nature of her father's. "That is... what happens, isn't it?" She shivered at the thought. Like her mother, would she too fill Glorall with the scent of blood?

ehiyeh