TTime had slowly healed his physical wounds. The gashes along his sides and stomach had rendered him fairly immobile while they healed. Disliking to show the weakness he tended to sit comfortably in one spot or another while others moved around him. At least until the wounds had closed and the scabs had started to peal away. Shining pink scars he could handle and soon he was up and moving around the pack as if the attack had never happened.

But it had. And when the woman escaped he felt a strong sense of concern at the idea of her running loose in the world again. Not only was he once more at risk of apparently being attacked by a stranger, but so was everyone connected to him. His sons, his pack, his Imprint. His features carried concern more often than not as he paced through the trees of the forest. This woman was something to him, the flashes of his father through his mind convinced him of that. If he were somehow involved, Tithe was sure anyone who touched him could be in danger. With each pass along the trails he tried to put defenses into place. How could Thyme be protected as he grew into the young man he was to become, still to keep his freedom to explore and live? Bazyl, in Diveen, a distance from the forests but still he walked as almost the spitting image of his father, only a different metal gracing his armor. And Pandora. His concern for his Imprint twisted in his stomach with every breath. If the woman found out she was his heart and soul he would be lost. It had become his determination to remain close, as ever protective of her as he could be without stepping over his bounds with her.

However, being near or far was growing increasingly less of a concern. In their den they curled together, wordlessly in each others company, for it was the most natural thing in the world. Since the attack though, Pandora had been bothered. Tithe could not tell if her anxiety was fueled by his own, so when they were close he was determined to remain calm. As long as she was there, he did not have to worry about her. This morning seemed to be different when finally her patience broke. Her movement stirred him, his dreams just as comforting as his reality, pressed against her golden form. Only when he cracked his iron eye, she was positioned to prevent his escape instead of merely beside him.

His face fell and he thought about it for a moment. The woman and the attack was not something he wanted to bring up, but Pandora’s inquisitive mind was not something that would ever be put on hold. As much as he wanted to let it go, he knew it was something they would all have to face eventually. I think she is dangerous. He uttered first, still trying to stir himself from his dreams. Knowing that answer would not be satisfactory he thought for a moment, recalling the encounter with the woman. How strongly he had been reminded of his past. I think she is tied to me, somehow. But I don’t know how. It was not a stretch for him to have siblings, after all his father was a rapist who had taken his feelings out on his mother one day. Tithe looked guiltily over at his Imprint, never having wanted to bring harm or trouble to her. I do not know who she is, but she reminded me of my father.