Her nares flared and she inhaled deeply, his cologne seeping effortlessly into the far corners of her lungs as she tasted the remnants of him with in the air. It almost seemed… Fresh, instead of the crackled bits of memory she was sure it was. But then her twin towers swiveled, sure that they had picked up on the sound of his voice-was decrepitation setting in? Always had her skin and muscle and sinew been damaged, but now this? Her brain? Was she going insane, crazy, hearing voices? What would be next, hallucinating? And sure enough, out of instinct and reflex, she tilted her head, marking her neck to the left to turn around to look… And there he was. Their Lev was.

He had said her name before, Lev had uttered her name, but now he just stood there, staring at her, with his plume just as happy as her pups normally were, swing back-and-forth wildly without a care in the world. Nimueh blinked, her russet eyelids fluttering over her pools, hoping to spread the tears and blink away the image, but it remained - there he was. Cautiously, she inhaled again, and this time there was no mistaking it - unless she had truly gone bat shit crazy, it really was him. After all these months of separation, they had found each other. And she had to wonder, despite her pessimistic attitude, if he had been looking for her all along? How many times had he come to the den, hoping that she was there? Was that why his scent still lingered here? Because it was not really all that old… it was somewhat fresh. And then he neared her, and all worry slipped away as Nimueh reverted to her normal persona - flirtatious till the end, always calm, cool, collected. She smirked at him, and batted her eyelids again, but this time it was not to try to erase his image, but rather be coy. He asked she was OK, if she had been hurt, and said he had been worried and looking for her. The Iberianess shrugged and let loose a carefree laugh.

“I’m fine, more or less. Life is full of little hurts, and big pains in my ass. As fate would have it, the night of the ambush, Kershov had a sudden desire to protect the pups that he had just learned about, the ones that I had carried within me belong to him. He arrived just in time to sneak the pups and I away without being seen, and I have been within his pack ever since. Kershov is the ruler of Uyaraut pack. Not truly under his possession nor his protection - I think the coat of armor that is placed over our pups does not necessarily extend me.” She paused - what would be the harm in sharing some of her worries with him? He had followed her before, had trusted her, and even when she had failed the pack and those within it he had looked for her.

“Even if Kershov had not arrived and pulled me away, I would not have been able to fight off the Challenger. I was born with a defect… One that makes me far more fragile than even a pup. My tissues are weaker than everyone else’s, they tear more easily and take longer to heal. And my stamina… It is laughable really. My mind is strong and cunning to make up for everything else… but it was wrong for me to ever take a pack in the first place if I could not defend it myself. I have found none of the wolves that were in my pack, other than you, now, of course. I fear for their safety, I fear they are dead.”

Nimueh looked away from him, ashamed for the first time in a long time. Her malady was something that she kept close to her heart, that she hid from everyone so that they could not use it against her. And now, opening up to Lev? It made her feel vulnerable. Her eerie milky pools shifted to him, full of sorrow, full of regret.

“Do you blame me? For the desecration and downfall of the pack, do you blame me?”