Nina had been worried about Hollow for some time now. Whenever she would walk by him he would seem distant and out of sorts and as the days passed by her concern for him grew tenfold. She too had noticed Azariah’s scent missing from the borders and was positive that everything was going to go downhill with Hollow. Nina new firstpaw how it was when the one wolf you cared most about went missing. And to have this happen to him more than once was certainly taking its toll. Nina knew that next time Azariah returned, she would not be so lucky in gaining entry into her home once again. It was obvious that it was hurting her dear friend and that was something that the Reinier would not allow happen to her partner again. It was pure luck that she happened to stumble upon him today.

It didn’t seem as though he realize that she was there and instantly her sympathy went out to him. Ever since they both finalized that Azariah was not coming back, Hollow had become a hard shell of his former self. It almost reminded her of her brother, before he had become good, but such behaviors were repairable, and one thing that the woman knew the man needed was a friend. Striding forward in a comfort manner, Nina sat down next to the larger man, her golden head craned in his direction, as she had talked up to him on her blind side at force of habit. Sighing softly into the chilly air, she spoke in soft tones to her friend, <b style="color:#008080">”Things that trouble your mind aren’t always the most fun things to be keeping around.” She spoke these words, trying to get him to come out of his shell and get his emotions out.

She did not take much pride in knowing that her friend was going through such a hard time and that had not been able to find the time to find out how he was doing. To the point where he was telling her something that she definitely did not wish to hear. She was about to speak, but he cut in again and her heart ached for him. She knew exactly where he was at in this moment of time and the heartbreak that he was surely going through. Sighing softly, she reached out to her friend, her muzzle touching his shoulder in a comforting manner, <b style="color:#008080">”I will respect your decision, my friend.” She then let there be silence to see if he wanted to add anything. She was sure that with the recent showing of Miccah that Hollow was not feeling very confident about his love life.

She was sure that he was taking it hard on himself with Tacoma’s death to, considering how it had happened. Her son’s death had surely been a tragedy but Secret Woodlands would get through it together, just as they would get through every obstacle thrown their way. She cleared her throat, suddenly remembering something that he had said to her, <b style="color:#008080">”The way you lead does not matter to me…your well being is more important, you should know that.” She moved her head so that she could see his face, her single eye slightly widened. None the less, she gave him a pointed look, slightly surprised that he would ever suggest that she was only concerned about how he would lead them.

She had never wanted Hollow to have to go through the heartbreak that so many wolves in Nina’s lifetime has had to go through. When he spoke, she listened and when he hurt, so did she. So now that he was talking to her about how he was really feeling, without all the prying eyes around them; wondering what they were saying and hoping to use it against them; it was just the two. His news about Azariah and him leaving in the spring to start a family gave her quite a shock. Had Azariah not told him about her condition? The question made her shift uneasily. As much as she wanted her friend to know the truth, she also did not want to hurt his heart more by telling him the lies that his love had told him. None the less, she gave him a knowing look, one that would tell him that she knew if he just didn’t want to tell her, but would have been confusing if he didn’t, which was alright, considering that Nina was quite confusing half of the time. The fact that he had wanted to start a family darkened her heart though, because she knew that now that Azariah was gone, that might not happen for him.

Silence fell between them for several long moments, Nina’s face turning back towards the Guardian when he fired off questions at her. The golden brown woman’s brow furrowed and she looked away slightly afraid of what that question would bring up. She saw the darkened look on her friend’s face and knew immediately what – or rather who – he was thinking of. Tacoma, her first born…had died and there definitely should have been a third name there, and it was true enough when her mind silently added his name into the fraction. Swallowing, she turned to Hollow, hoping that her answer would be enough to placate him for a little while. <b style="color:#008080">”One step at a time, my friend….one step at a time,” she whispered softly to him as she looked off into the shadows of her thickets.