They had been spending time together. A lot of time together since she had invited him to stay with her in her den. With every day she tried to find reasons or excuses to get him to stay, careful not to pressure him when he was with his family or working for the pack. As greedy as she was to be around him, she would release him to others who loved him. She would even, grudgingly, understand if and when he left to be with Tailen.

Time had changed their relationship though. They were no longer puppies playing in the waves. The warmth that had spread through her on their reunion had become a hot fire in the cold of the winter. It was a desire and a thirst she could not quench. As she paced the length of her den, not even the trinkets she had collected could distract her from the whirling in her chest. Glaring at her random baubles, she decided to go try to find him and slipped from her den, avoiding the waves and wondering if she should tell Thor about the back way…

Following his tracks she found he had ventured all over the pack land and along the beach. His actions bewildered her with their sporadic nature until they turned back in the direction of her home. She saw him time his enterence to the cove perfectly. A grin spread on her features. He was getting good at that. Not wanting to bother with the waves, she took the long way that slipped through a tight hole, bringing her back into the den. It was not as comfortable of a route, still requiring struggled and the occasional clawing to get through, but it worked. Shaking the clinging dirt from her snow pelt she completely missed the pearl’s escape, looking up only to find Thor glaring at the arranged pile of items as if it offended him. Her silky banner waved, head tilted to the side and a single eyebrow rose. Curious, she sat in front of him, eyeing the bouquet of shiny things. Pearls and oysters were hard to find, and harder to keep. Good morning. Her grin was sly, eyes sparkling, always happy to see him.