Palaydrian’s scent had definitely changed. The smell of pregnancy and milk clung to her regular odor. It was a strange smell, one that Zalen could not truly say he had ever smelled before, though he recognized it instantly. It was understandable though, the femme had only recently lost the litter, her body would still be clinging to the maternal form for some time yet. He wondered if Titania also looked and smelled the same, but these thoughts hurt too much to continue and so he snuffed them from his mind. Tracking Palaydrian was taking him farther away from the communal den, most likely to her birthing den; he wondered why she still lingered there, wasn’t it painful for her?
As the scent got more and more intense, he knew he was getting close and so he slowed, his Lupus paws carrying him nonchalantly over the ground, his tail in a low hang. He could only imagine the state of mind Drin might be in, so he was going to take this encounter slow and casually. She appeared in the distance then, shining gold in the sunlight and standing outside a dug den, her body screaming of agitation. Zalen lowers his head and sleeked out his fur as he approached, his tail wagging slowly; dominance was no needed here, it was clear who was in charge, and it was not he.
Zalen wanted badly just to walk up to her and nuzzle her in greeting, but he hesitated. She looked like she was guarding the entrance to the den, and this immediately concerned and peaked his interest; he raised his head slightly and black ears swiveled like satellites to listen inside. What was she hiding in there? Had a puppy survived? No, it had been told to him by many that all had perished; what then? God forbid, was she guarding their bodies? The thought almost made him shiver.
But there was a scent here, it was the scent of a puppy but not a dead one; what she adopted a straggler? He looked up at her, Palaydrian, what are you hiding in there? His voice was firm, but calm. He didn’t want to frighten or anger her, or make her think he was angry; he was not, he was just curious.
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