In truth, I wasn’t prone to such mood swings. Generally I was a happy wolf, blissfully unaware of all the ill tidings unless it was something that directly impacted me or Israfel. We lived an isolated existence. Most of my family had disappeared, either scattering to the winds or passing away. Mother and father first, then my older siblings, and now it was down to just me, though I knew Thor was around. He had taken a mate long ago and enjoyed life to it’s fullest from infancy. My natural fear of certain situations had waned with age though as the river races past, I am reminded that it is not abolished. There would be no recreational swimming for me.

I feel pleasure at the awkward turtle shell between my teeth. It’s reminder to my past is bittersweet yet in the end, I seek only the good that came from it. Hadrian had guided me on this path, he the bow and me the arrow, and I would hit the bulls eye soon. Yes, soon I would become the main healer.

The closer my imprint draws, the more my belly seems to quiver with butterflies. It has never faded and I enjoy the sensation. It is as if I am crawling out of my skin in my need to be closer to his. My tail wags as I garble his name, latching on to his silver and gray figure as it races between the foliage. It seems as if we always greet each other like we have been apart for centuries and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I go still as he leans out to sniff the shell, grinning around it, a little bit of slobber dripping out the side of my mouth. Gross but couldn’t be helped since I couldn’t close my jaws. I make a strangled giggle of embarrassment.

My eyes crinkle in pleasure at his playful use of my name. Shhhamiaaa! I giggle again, choking a bit before abruptly placing the turtle shell on the ground. It wasn’t like it was going anywhere! ”It is a turtle shell, Ishy,” I respond with a roll of my eyes, though my words are gently teasing. I lean over them to lick his cheek, unable to help myself from such closeness. ”It is good for carrying medicine in or salt water. I used it once for salt water when I first started training.” I grin, ears falling back happily. ”I spilled most of it though.”

Israfel was always graceful and magnificent in my eyes. I never noticed when he tripped up or seemed unsure, mostly because he was my knight in shining armor. Nothing could change that for me. Still, I wanted to play, and challenging him seemed a fun way to do it. I give him a sly smile. ”I’ll make a wager with you, Ishy! If you can carry this turtle shell with some river water in it all the way to the sea then I’ll find you some oysters to eat! If you drop the shell and dump all the water then you have to find ME some oysters. Deal?” I lift a paw, expecting him to smack it with his own in a deal, beaming.