you were all i ever longed for

There were few times in his life when he'd been utterly speechless. Usually he could come up with something, even in the most awkward of times, even though he'd been largely on his own lately. He'd grown more fond of avoiding company these last few seasons, but he didn't expect to find himself so stunned. But he hadn't expected this, either, not in a hundred years.  His jaw clenched tightly as he tried to steady his thoughts and the sudden, rapid beating of his heart in his chest.

Years ago, he would've never greeted her so.. uncomfortably. They'd always had a playful, friendly air to their friendship - they could joke and roughhouse, a welcome break from the sometimes too-serious air of pack leadership. He'd cared about her more than he did about most, despite Caelum's vocal dislike of her. He couldn't help but remember that it was her fault that he hadn't been there to protect his family, and his pack. If Caelum had never banished her, he wouldn't have to sneak out to visit her. Briefly, his eyes closed as the memories flooded him. Thinking about it all was difficult for him to bear and rendered him temporarily silent.

Her own response was so.. refreshingly characteristic of her. She didn't greet him as one might greet a long-lost friend, nor did he greet her with any sort of sadness. Just.. her typical sass, unchanged over the years. He almost grinned, almost, but fought back the shifting expression as he tried to keep his rising emotions at bay. Truthfully, he'd never felt any less alive, but that wasn't something he was going to share with her. "What's it look like?" he'd retort sharply, his voice taking on a slightly harder edge now. But he took another step closer. She looked older, but not much different than he remembered. He couldn't tell if he was more anxious or relieved at seeing her, though he tried to give away no indication of either. "Why, do you really think I'm that easy to kill?" He hadn't reflected on Asha's well-being as much as Caelum's, truth be told, and he hadn't spent much time preparing for this reunion, since he never thought it'd come. His nose wrinkled as he stared at her, unabashedly, though not without uncertainty as he waited.