Drestig Avalon was tired, so very tired. It had taken him a long time to bounce back after Percy's return, his exhausted body having been pushed to a hairs breadth of breaking point; I used to endure much worse..! But he was not a young man any more. Now his daughter was gone again, her bruised mind having been unable to find rest among the Rye. He hadn't wanted her to go, but he couldn't force her to remain either, he had failed her. And now more pups were on their way, judging by Jessie's size and irritability they could arrive any day. Would he do any better by them? It was such a big undertaking, and he was starting to feel like he might not be up for it.

Unable to sleep, the father paced by the still pond under the clear, evening sky. The moon hang above as a narrow sliver, illuminating the swaying grass with its silver rays; His golden fields looked pale in the darkness. As did his own reflection in the clear water - when he looked down at the orange eyed wolf, he saw more white than black now, the graying of his fur having intensified greatly with the shedding of his winter coat; You're an old man..! For the first time in his life he felt it too. So much had happened to him, to his family, and it seemed to continue to, their happiness constantly shaken by malevolent forces; "How much more can I take..?"

Word count: 253

"speech" thoughts