Sex: MaleWinter had only begun, even if the snow had been on the ground for quite some time now. His trek to the Falls had been beneficial, therapeutic even, but he was afraid that remorse had begun to take root. As Leader, he was barred from nothing, denied nothing. So, why did he feel like this? As if the world was too heavy, that living came with a mortal price to pay? Additionally, if he had still been in Hudson's shadow, would he still have felt this way?
Adelard was still scowling as he found his way to familiar ground. Around a gnarled tree and past a moss-covered boulder, he prowled. What was it that he had vowed to himself?
Change.
He swiped at a tree to his right as if it had come out of nowhere unannounced and uncalled for. A growl rumbled from his throat and chest. Both predator and prey ought to think twice now if they thought it wise to cross his path. He had to change. He had to address everything that had bottled up and get over it all.
If Aubine couldn't handle his superiority in rank, so be it.
If Riven could never be recovered, there would be time to grieve.
If Hudson never came back... Fine, but there was a catch now.
The signature scents of the Chasm's subordinates curled in his nostrils. Here and there, he could even pick up those of the cubs. He snorted and another thunder reverberated through the frozen ferns. His ears came up and bright yellow eyes glistened dangerously. The rabbit warren nearby had come up sooner than expected. His lips curled as he skulked around a dead tree trunk. The summer-born kit cowering between the roots was either inexperienced or absolutely stupid. In panic and utter sluggishness, it ended up in Adelard's jaws after a sad, short-lived chase.
A trail of blood followed the Gerau as he continued his patrol. For the first time in months, he blinked and stayed present. In the moment. His jaw clenched down on his prize as he stared out into the untamed forest.
He could have laughed. It had all been too simple. All the pack had to do was survive. That was it. How hard could that be?
The fur along his spine bristled in tall spikes as his tail lifted. Feral. Wild. It was time to raise Huddy's band of wolves from the grave.
ADELARD GERAU
black smoke, I take it higher