She didn't want to be away from Aeus right now, but she didn't really want to tackle this issue at the moment either. Truth be told, she was much more comfortable around the great black beast of an alpha than her own boyfriend; even if Gent had nearly just kicked him out. Gent hadn't hurt her – in fact he was the one thing making her feel the slightest bit better right now. She stayed close; dulled eyes panning the ground while scenes from before played over and over. Why? She hadn't a clue. It was much more comfortable to be able to focus on anything else; the forest, birds, whatever; but somehow the worries kept coming back. They always came back. It was a relief of sorts when the den came into view. The little Crestlings simply couldn't be looked upon or even associated with sadness. Tokino had been a good leader, and she felt awful for Minka, but the pups were leading good lives so far. They had no idea that a single thing was missing from them. For that, she was grateful. 

Raela parked herself outside the den, allowing Gent to summon the matriarch. She had no business getting too close to the little ones just yet. Even if Minka truly didn't mind, she didn't want to take the chance when it wasn't necessary. They weren't here to gawk at the little ones or play. She was hardly in the mood for frolicking. Reclining on her haunches felt much better after the walk. She even extended a back paw to scratch at her neck while they waited for the other woman's response. What was she going to have to say? What if Minka saw fit to banish him anyway? Rae's tongue slid across her ivory muzzle subconsciously; a little nervous gesture that might have gone unnoticed to one not looking for it. Oh how she hoped Aeus would fix this.  

There was but a moment of pause as the Crest's matriarch urged her children together; attempting to keep them warm and comfortable in her temporary absence. Raela's orange ears twitched as the muffled mews came through the opening; unable to mask the slight smirk that spread across her face. Despite this whole situation, there was a second's comfort for her in the children. Minka's nervous words folded the smaller woman's ears with a tinge of shame for worrying her so. Gent was quick to correct her, though, and the meeting could continue without any more assurances. She waited, eyes drifting over to the black behemoth as he fought for the right words. 

Something was off about the man's sudden anxiety. He seemed almost, insecure about this. That was a word she'd never before associated with Gent, and her ears returned to their erect position as he detailed the incident. Every word stung, yet she knew it to be truth. The woman remained quiet until his last couple of sentences; quickly sensing that it would be her turn to speak up soon. The King's last question came across the air as pleading; pleading for her to assist in this tale. Having already been watching him closely she met his gaze. Her attention turned swiftly to Minka as she spoke. 

“I don't understand what he meant but he was yapping about something like that,” her voice was deflated but her expression remained alert, at least until she had to explain further. “He was being very disrespectful to Gent,” she admitted, her gaze falling. “Both in what he said and how he behaved. He said he respected you but not him.” Why Aeus? Why did you have to go and do this? “I saw no good reason for it.” She shook her head, “He had no right to act how he did.” She didn't want to elaborate just yet. If Gent was intent on relaying the events as they'd occurred she'd let him. She was here as a witness, after all. Her eyes finally rose from their dejected depths, searching for her companion and waiting for him to keep going.