you were all i ever longed for

Time had changed so much for him. Never would he have been so shaken up by Asha's mere presence. It was refreshing, though painful at the same time - he thought briefly on how much had changed and how much he had lost in turn. Not only his mate, not only his children, but his friends too. Clash and Asha and all the others, vanished like a breath of white smoke on a winter's day. Some, he'd seen die. Others, their fates had been created inside his head, always changing, but he'd never envisioned a reunion. No, not really. He was held captive by the uncertainty, rendered temporarily silent and stunned as he stared and made out her features better in the darkness. One at a time, she became clearer to him. Her dark mask made it more difficult to see her well, silver stare piercing his own in the near-darkness, her gaze too familiar.

He wouldn't have been able to speak, he was fairly sure, if she hadn't made an effort to lighten the mood. Zephyr wondered if speaking to him was as effortless as she made it seem, or if she was just good at hiding her emotions. She'd never really been one to show much of that side of herself, even when they'd been close friends. He found himself cracking a faint grin at her words, shaking his head.  Taking a step forward, he gentled leaned toward her and bumped his snout against her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "I don't know about that one," he quipped, though his voice had a serious tone.  "I could certainly put up a fight against you?"  Amusement danced in his eyes, tail flicking gently behind him.  "Been awhile, Asha. How has time treated you?" The more light-hearted tone fell from his voice; his question was a serious one and he had no reason to disguise it as anything but.