I worry a bit about the enclosed space and my own stench as she seems to gradually move closer to me. Drawn, a moth to flame. That is what happens with innocence – it is corrupted by darkness, seeking to shed light and heal. Because beneath the veneer of righteousness, I had a wicked heart and mind that sometimes couldn’t be overcome. As agitated as I am with the situation, the closer she draws, the more my racing blood begins to calm. The pounding of my heart eases, though it staccatos for a different reason now.

Reine is no dainty female. Now that I am calming and can speak with her, I can take her in fully. While I am larger, she could hold her own if need be, though she would be no powerhouse. I think she was built for a endurance and bursts of speed whereas I was strong and lacked a rigorous stamina. My skin felt itchy beneath my thick dirty fur after the panicked race to the grotto but until I could settle Reine somewhere safe I wouldn’t go spend my time grooming. Maybe not even then. If I had remained undetected in Molodian for this long then it would be prudent to continue to do so. Maybe even leave.

I hate the idea and the moment I think it, my head revolts. Do not leave her! That is what my muscles scream at me. I grit my teeth and try to shove the errant thought down. Her refusal of listen to what I was telling her made my fur puff up and I gave another low growl of disapproval. ”You are the first wolf that has seen me in seasons and that is only because I chose to reveal myself to you. Once I take you back to Spirane I will leave Molodian for a while. Just until he is gone,” I assure her and myself, though I can’t help but feel a stutter in me as she adds the ‘make me lose you too’ part. She had to understand how important this was. How dangerous.

But she keeps speaking and the determination in me is crumbling with each word. She feels so alone, so dejected. Feel… I feel her in some odd, ambient sort of way. I want to claw a hole into the ground and put her in it, safe, tucked away, a place I can protect. I don’t know why her words stir me into such a frenzy inside. The maelstrom in me comes to a surprise stop the moment she touches me and I tense before sighing, giving in to her touch, leaning into it, though I don’t return it with my own snout. I don’t know how to be that way – comforting, soothing, open. It is so far from the practices I have participated in for the last several years.

Still, I allow hers, finding that her touch calms me. ”Reine,” I say, my voice softer, earnest. ”We have to figure out where to go then. I’ll…” I pause, swallow, then continue, “go to a pack with you for a while if that is what it takes to keep you there.” I did not want to go, did not want my presence outed again but with one touch she undone all my stern thoughts. I wasn’t sure I COULD leave her now, knowing that Blackthorne was out there. Still, I didn’t want to go to Diveen because I remember how the Darkbringer had feuded with them. Asteraia was once his allies and Iromar might yet call him back. Spirane and Taviora had both been spared, but if I took Reine to Taviora then she would be thrust in the midst of my family and the brokenness that I had left behind. I guess, in the end, I didn’t have much of a choice.