It might have been sheer luck, or just a differing of paths that caused them to never meet one another, as well as the children. Tuari had been very week for almost two full seasons following the birth of her daughters after all, and it seemed the other wolfess also kept to her own. By the time Tuari had recovered she had wanted to make up for lost time with her girls and spent her free time rounding them up and teaching them to hunt. However, it had been in the back of her mind even in those days. She could smell it on his body, know he was busy with something else, but she was too focused on her own to worry on something else, and he had still been there with her for the girls too. It was all she could ask for given the situation she was in. With or without him she would have pressed on and cared for her girls, but it had been even easier, a joy even to have him there to help. Perhaps that was part of it as well. When They were all together like on the hunt it felt like they truly were a family, and all the complications of the situation were forgotten.

When the mute boy came though, some of that had come to a screeching halt. Tuari checked herself, her position, realized his own and how she had been ignoring it for her own happy dream, which was unfair to him. She wasn’t sure why it hadn’t come up with him, though she had some ideas. Helping his son though made her happy, knowing she was still contributing to his ‘secret’ family as well as helping a fellow wolf who was a mute. It had been a stark slap back into reality though, and yes, it hurt, facing it hurt, but it was far overshadowed by all the good he had done for her and their girls. Her feelings for him though had never faded, though part of her was also slightly wary, guarded perhaps. At the very least though she still wanted to bring up his son, perhaps this way it would be easier to have more frequent lessons, and she wasn’t exactly trying to hide that she was doing it in the first place. Never could she imagined though what he wanted with her.

She was curious though, her head tilting slightly inviting him to share whatever it was on his mind, then he started speaking. There was a lot too, more than she could ever even try, but to her it meant he had thought long and hard about them, saying everything he had bottled up. It started immediately with a confession. Telling her that he had fathered two litters, one with her and one with Tailen. She felt the bite, in her chest, but it wasn’t something she already didn’t know, she half wondered if he was saying it all now because he had detected that she had been around him, then she felt bad for him, how he was saying it, she was certain it had weighed on him for all this time. She wished he had gotten it off his chest sooner, but she remained still, her eyes not leaving his as he continue to speak. Eztli, so that was the boy’s name. He explained that he was violent, frustrated and she knew that first hand, though there hadn’t been any violent outbursts towards her Tuari could see the frustration in his eyes.

Her face remained neutral, calm, a chill running through her body as the male stood before her pouring his heart out. Coward? Maybe. SHe had once gotten mad at him for running away from her like that, this time he didn’t run at least, but he never faced the truth either. It was better than running away from all his responsibilities. She admired him for that, stepping up to the plate of taking care of all his children, hers and Talien’s she guessed. He was a good father, even if he had done this to himself, he didn’t turn away from them. Though she reminded herself of his confused feelings when she had first confessed to him that she cared about him more than just as a friend. He, at the time, admitted he felt the same but Talien too was in his heart. Perhaps it was that warning that made her not as upset as maybe another female would have been, but he had been honest then. Perhaps it was that that now caught her off guard though.

At first part of her mind wanted to think he was being facetious. She had thought that he would never pick between one or the other. If it had been when she had first confessed she would have been delighted beyond the world at his words. Even now as he spoke them her heart felt light in her chest, beating faster and faster with the thrill and excitement, her face lighting up. But then she remembered. Talien. Was he… sure? Though he certainly seemed as such his words both caused her to light up and dim at the same time, she just never expected it to come to this, though part of her also pondered how exactly his and Talien’s relationship had been. Perhaps she knew sooner, perhaps there was a reason this was happening yet he promised they would just be friends. He wanted to be hers, almost desperately sounding. It had been what she had been wanting all along, part of her was soaring that her dream might be a reality. That those days where she thought they were such a wonderful family were true and not simply some illusion. She wanted it to be that way. She remembered the dark times she had after Levi had left, she never wanted to go back, but there was still that part of her that was scared of being wounded so deeply again that their would be no return.

By the end, she wasn’t sure what to do. She was so shocked by his sudden proclamation, declaration even of his love and loyalty to her. That he felt bad things had happened as they had. There was so much she wished she could say. Instead all she could barely manage to do was stand staring blankly for several good moments. Finally her ears flicked uncertainly, her body became less stiff and her gaze broke from his. What was she going to do then? She certainly wasn’t angry. No anger at all had popped at all into her, she guessed she would go point by point.

”I knew.” She mouthed letting her eyes go back to him. ”I’ve known for a long time. I met Etzli.” The name was foreign to her lips, but she did her best to form the boy’s name so that he knew. She felt numb with so many emotions coursing through her. ”Never angry, not even that hurt.” She touched her front paw to her chest then indicating her heart, it never hurt, badly at least. It hurt way worse the day she tried to run from her, that day had hurt, when she first found out about Talien, but knowing about her and what was going on. She was really no better, a meddler in a way to what they had, but it sounded like that was over with now. He was ending that to be with her, only her. She was uncertain. He seemed like he cared about the other wolfess a lot, but Tuari knew she was not perfect, broken even that she didn’t have a voice for him.

”Are you sure? About me?” She asked looking at him, her own uncertainty in his choice. She didn’t know if she just wanted to hear it again or what it was. Of all the things she expected today this wasn’t it at all. She just wanted to know for sure, wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to get hurt, but she knew Dexter never would mean too, but last time, she hadn’t been as hurt by his choice cause he already stated his confusion. This time, he couldn’t go back on it, he had to follow through. Betray these words and she would be, then her raging hell fire would break loose. But she didn’t want to go there, so she wanted him to be certain.