Tagg could hear the voices around him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Had he imagined getting home? Was it a dream? What if the voices were not those of his family but of his hunters? Was he about to die?
A warm feeling came over him. If he was about to die then maybe they were the voices of his parents, his grandparents, his sister... "Staryn? Mom?" He called weakly, though he wasn't entirely sure his voice worked. "Dad?" What a relief it would be if they came to greet him.
But then he remembered his family now, his sons and daughter and his wife. His beloved Moonshadow. He couldn't leave her alone. He couldn't leave his pups fatherless. They had a pack, which was more than he had, but it wouldn't be the same. He couldn't abandon them now. He was a fighter; a guardian of Fallen Tree Cove. He could do this.
The fog around his mind parted, though it was just a little. He could smell Moon and Chan, and that was all he needed. "It's alright, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you." He mumbled. Everything would be okay, he was going to be okay.
With that thought, the darkness surged again and he relaxed into sleep.
EXIT
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