It was early morning, and the snow hued male had slipped out of bed. Once again, he couldn't sleep. It was a frequent thing for him. He didn't take anything for it, he'd tried once. A sleeping drought his other had suggested; it had left him with a hang over that probably rivaled anything an actual drinker experienced. He peered into the room they had set up for Liam, if the boy ever showed up. He knew his son was around, but he was rarely seen. As he'd expected, his son wasn't in the room, nor was his scent terribly thick on the old house the two males had shared before his mateship with Sky. Since it was still early, Tal decided to wander the borders for a short while. With all the tensions going on, it wouldn't hurt to be sure everything was safe in the lands. The sun was just beginning to rise, as the scent of a large cat became noticeable, along with as softer, more subtle scent. Suddenly the hot tang of blood sprang up, the olfactory equivalence to the sight of a blooming rose still blossoming. The pale scholar adjusted his satchel, his ears drooping as he began to follow the scent. A good way into Ethereal Eclipse, he found the woman. A petite wolf, her tawny coat covered in great wounds, her breathing labored and shallow. The scent of wild cat was hot and thick in the air. He knelt next to her, his gaze concerned. His hand snaked out. In a movement that was at odds with her injuries, her fangs were latched into his hand, her piercing golden eyes focused on his. She didn't bite down hard, just hard enough to warn him against touching her further. He could see it in her eyes, she knew she would die soon. He couldn't look away, her amber eyes were drawing him in. He swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head. She kept her eyes on his, forcing herself to speak to him. "Tameri... safe." Her breath whistled in the way a punctured lung would whistle, sharing the same gurgling quality as someone drowning. He swallowed as he realized what she was asking. ”I will keep Tameri safe, ma'am. I swear it.” He watched as she nodded, and sighed. As if the promise was enough, her eyes drifted closed, her breathing stopping. His heart ached for the fallen woman. He didn't know her name, nor where she came from. All he knew was that he made her a promise, and now he would keep it. He touched her forehead lightly, swallowing again. ”Bless this woman and help her find your light, Rhiannon.” And may I have the strength needed to protect her child, he added internally. He drew in a shaking breath, then straightened. He called for Tameri, listening for a reply. A soft rustling nearby caused his to stiffen, only relaxing when a small black nose poked out of the brush.
The pup was small, maybe two or three months at the most. His heart ached for the small thing. It's coat was black, but mottled grey from dust. The ribs poked through, as if the pair had been traveling a long time with minimal food. The blue eyes were pleading with him. When it spoke, its words were soft, confused. "Mami?" His heart broke at the single word, and he lifted the small female up. He didn't quite know what to say to the girl pup, so he spoke softly to her, hoping Sky would forgive him for the lie he was about to tell the puppy, but knowing she would understand why he did it. He kept his body in-between Tameri and the cooling corpse of her mother. ”Your Mami left you for me to take care of, Tameri. I'm your dad.” The pup looked up at him, and in one heartbreaking instant, she snuggled against him, accepting her place in his world with a grace that would make most submissives weep. He glanced at the body of her mother, then began his trek back to the pack, to explain to his mate why he left their bed and returned with a malnourished puppy who would henceforth call him daddy. On the way, he stopped to wrap a small blanket around the shivering female. The sun was half way in the sky, not quite at it's highest yet when he reached Thornbury. His mind was wrapped around the female's mother, and the need to protect the pack. He'd have Sky let Shawchert know that there was a big cat in the area that had killed well outside the pack land, but still close enough it could be a risk to the younger or weaker wolves in the area. |
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