He had watched her go as he pretended to sleep, wanted to protest as the warmth of her body left his; but he let her go, he knew she would not go far. She was so beautiful and his and his alone. Every time he thought about Titania as his mate his heart skipped a beat; he had never been so happy before in his life. Soon the two of them would go back to where they had met and claim it as their own and perhaps soon after that more would follow. Zalen had been thinking more and more about what it would mean to lead a pack, but he was ready; he had the blood of the First Alphess running in his veins, and he was strong.
Though the outside world was bright with winter sunshine it was cold and Zalen stayed within the den, sleeping more then he probably should have. Soon his eyes fully opened and he lifted his ebon head to look out in the golden world. Widow’s web glistened like a precious metal in the sun. "I’ll be leaving you soon my friend…" He said softly to the spider. He took a look around his den, which he had lived in for so many moon’s turns; so many things had happened to him the span of his finding this den; but now a new chapter in his life was being turned.
With a stretch Zalen got up and shook himself, venturing outside into the cold; he could smell Titania, she was no far off, most likely exploring. She was so young, hardly even out of pup-hood, but he could see in her the woman she would become; an Alphess for the ages. Zalen wandered out a bit to see if any of his regular marking spots were starting to fade, as he hoped they would be. He would not want his scent lingering in this area any longer then it had too.
After several moments of walking Zalen came to a tree that was just inside his small territory; he sniffed at it, confirming that his scent was indeed fading, when suddenly he noticed how quiet the area was. Black ears swiveled slowly on his head, and the male became tense.
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