unable to bind.mated to none.father to Eztli, Lixue, Petra, Citlalli, & Itzel.Taviora

He was such a jerk. An idiot! That's exactly what he was. Even after that big heartfelt discussion with Tuari over their feelings for each other, he had gone and done the one thing that he would always hate himself for. He had given in to his urges and now he had to deal with the consequences, if there were any, that is. It could always be a fluke and maybe it didn't take but still he felt horrible for treating Tuari like that. He didn't want her to think she was just a hook up or a go to during winter. She was his best friend, for pete's sake! So he went out of his way not to avoid her so she would never get that idea. He treated her with the same respect and attention he always did, even caring for her over the course of the hunt. It wasn't like he had to force himself to do it. It was second nature at this part. He cared about her so much, but he wasn't sure how to describe his feelings between the two females in his life. He knew that he liked Talien a lot and he could never write her off. She was beautiful and witty and made him feel all kinds of warm inside. And yet Tuari was never far from his thoughts.

He knew that soon enough they would find out what would come of their little encounter, just as he would find out what would happen with his encounter with Talien. He wasn't sure how they would feel knowing that he'd been with both of them during the course of the winter but he would have to deal with that when it happened. He wouldn't lie to either of them and yet he hated the thought of hurting either one of them ever again. And yet it seemed it was destined to happen anyway. And again, it was all his fault. He had noticed a slight change to Tuari in their time together since the hunt. She was fluffy for sure, but he was blaming that on her winter coat and eating good after the hunt. Surely she was just eating extra food, right? But somehow he had a gut feeling that it wasn't just that. He had seen her behaving oddly sometimes, suddenly barfing into a bush and turning down hunts and acting sickly more than usual. When he tried to ask her about it, she tried to pretend everything was okay but he knew she was hiding something from him and it made his stomach drop in worry.

What if she was really sick and she didn't want him to know? That only made him worry more! He was headed to her den to meet up with her, eager to get some alone time to talk about what had happened and what it would possibly mean for their future. He was bringing along some herbs he had taken the time to learn about, something other than herbs that would hurt or paralyze. These would actually help someone, soothe their stomach and help them get comfortable. He had dug the roots up and found the right mosses to make a concoction and now he was bringing it to her, hoping it would help. He didn't want to run from his problems. Tuari had set him right by telling him that he shouldn't run. He wasn't going to now, no matter what. If she ended up pregnant then he would be there for her and for the pups. He just didn't know who he would count as his mate. He still had so many feelings to work out.

He knew that Tuari had wanted to be a mother but the idea that he might give her children without being able to promise her that they would end up together; that was killing him. He didn't want to do that to her or to Talien. Stupid hormones. He could only hope that she was trying to take it easy and stay in her den. At least there, he knew she was safe. So of course he was more than surprised when she came running up to him and bumped right into his shoulder. His eyes widened and his ears flicked back, his expression full of shock and concern.

"Tuari, what are you doing out here?! Don't you see the snow? Come on, let's get you back to your den. I've got a surprise for you."

He nudged her shoulder with his nose, trying to herd her back to her den. Maybe some day when he was old and hoary, he would laugh at these moments in time. But as it was now, it was just stressful and nerve wrecking and eh just wanted her to be somewhere safe and quiet. Was that too much to ask?