He didn't know if anything had come of him and Tuari this winter but he was sure they would know soon enough. Tuari was starting to get hungry more often though she wasn't getting big or anything, not like she did last time, at least not yet. She snuck off more on her own to go hunt and he knew she liked her independence so he didn't try to pressure her to let him come with her, even though he wanted to. He was glad that Talien was back. He wanted her to be happy more than anything. He was sorry that he couldn't be the one to give it to her but there was just too much history between him and Tuari, too much of a connection. He couldn't ignore that, not anymore. He knew he hurt Talien and he was sorry about that but he didn't regret his decision and he never would. Tuari was his mate and she always would be. Till death do they part, though he hoped that didn't happen, at least not for a while.

Tuari was so good with children that he often wondered if she wanted more. Of course she hadn't made any protests when things got heated in their den this winter so he had to believe she at least didn't mind trying for more children, even if nothing came out of it. She was such a natural mother. He watched as she taught Eztli how to communicate as a mute. He watched as she mothered her brother Jinan's kids after they lost both their parents. She was so good at it. He was good at the providing part. He could hunt and bring back food like a pro after having two families to take care. Luckily he only had to inhabit one den now though. He gave Talien her space so now he could focus on Tuari and their family. The kids were mostly grown and out of the den now so they had more privacy. Petra was training as an assassin of all things, Eztli too. Nenetl had approached him for training as a warrior. Citlalli was training in Spirane to be Zelda's Power from what he'd heard.

He couldn't be more proud of his children. But he would be nothing without Tuari in his life. She alone kept his secret. He was on a dry spell now and he didn't like it. He was restless. He was hunting but there was no good opportunities, just the evidence left behind. It made him more paranoid. He felt useless. What good was he doing?

He caught a glimpse of Tuari herself and smirked to himself, tracking her at first, watching her slyly while he plotted on a good way to approach her. She looked satisfied like she'd just gotten a fresh kill or something. She looked good, glowing, full of life. His ears pricked, his eyes twinkling. The snow was doing good to muffle his foot steps but he still took his time. He wondered how she felt about Talien coming back. He hadn't hidden it from her but she knew he had feelings for Talien. Of course she trusted him and he meant what he said. She was his only one, his heart, his soul, his mate. He would never do anything to betray her trust. When she reached the clearing, she stopped, looking over the snow that covered colorful flowers in the spring. She sighed and sat down and he scowled thoughtfully, wondering if she was just daydreaming or if she was tired. She was usually very good with endurance unless...his heart started hammering.

Slowly he stepped forward, no longer wanting to pounce up on her, not if her health was compromised. He still snuck up a little though, not betraying his presence until he was behind her so he could lean oer and whisper in her ear. "Well, hello there, beautiful. Mind if I join you?"