Things had went... smoothly, I guess you could say. It had been somewhat difficult to convince the young girl at first that I meant what I said. In the end I felt humiliated and furious. Furious that he had driven me to such lows. I was no better than him, I think, but I quickly dismiss such a thought because I WAS better than him. Our agreement had been for a year and I had given far more than that. He had turned me into a broodmare and then belittled me for the whelps that he had created. I wasn't even sure if Zafira was alive, only that she had left my den after being thoroughly kicked out, and I felt a pang of guilt that I had done that. That I had turned into the monster that I knew Aranck to be. To be fair, I didn't love the girl, or even her brother. The pups that squirmed within my belly now were afforded no motherly affection: my only wish was to be rid of them. For them to come, to drink, to wean, then to go.

I sickened myself.

No more, I told myself as I swayed towards Iromar. The walk from Taviora was a difficult one in a whole day for a healthy wolf and an excruciating one for a pregnant wolf. On top of that I set out early, so early I barely got enough rest, because I knew I needed to be back before the sun set and the creatures came out. I didn't want to die. Above all, self preservation was my ultimate goal in life.

I pause as the sun reaches it's zenith, mouth opening as I pant into the heavy air and I make a beeline for a stream nearby. It's waters run across smooth stones and flashes of light blind me as it reflects the sun. I want a drink so bad but I find myself stepping into the water so that it pushes up against my bloated belly, cooling me, and I dip my whole head into it. I drink, inhale, and splutter as I hack the water back up before beginning again.

My legs tremble - a whole day of walking yesterday had left me exhausted and now I was sore to boot with the same trip back. But I had to get back, I think, because it wasn't safe here. I wasn't worried about Aranck looking for me. He hadn't come to the den in days and often longer, often finding solace in the fur of another, much to my chagrin and fury. I felt sick on the inside, hollow and filled with oil. Dark, viscous.

A flash of fur has my head snapping up, ears laid back and teeth flashing in warning. I am small, that was my curse in life, but I am a QUEEN. For now, anyways. I would hold the title fiercely until the last moment and then I would have to figure out what to do from there. Only the figure that emerges from the forest is one that startles me, my heart clanging in my chest and pink eyes widening in surprise. "Exodus?" His name is a breath, disbelieving, stunned.