It Bears Repeating

He ran along the river, climbing over fallen trees and bounding over large boulders as he made the most of yet another growth spurt. He raced through Abaven, kicking up flowerbeds that had grown beside the rapids with each powerful kick. He was still small, and terribly young, but with this latest growth spurt he no longer tripped over his large paws when he ran and could finally move with all the grace his siblings had been born into. He howled with excitement as he ran, scarring away birds and small animals that had only recently returned from their winter respite.

He wanted Vali to see him, how big he was becoming, how strong he was now, maybe she would be impressed enough to name him as the Erede. He had grown to resent Bass for the simple fact that he hadn’t officially chosen him as his heir before losing his mind, despite how much the boy wanted to be the alpha and had never once strayed from that path. He cared little for Lark, the man had never challenged his deepest desire, but as Bass’s oldest son he had a greater claim to Abaven than himself; a bastard son as far as anyone was concerned.

He stopped on a cliff hanging over the roaring rapids and looked out toward the Rustling Thicket beyond them. In the Fall there had been a fallen tree he had used to cross over from the plains in the winter it had been too slippery to use although the flow of the river had softened. Now the mighty river raged on in full force and had long since swept the fallen tree out into the ocean. A shame really, but there was nothing that could be done, he simply had to wait until he was older and bigger to return to the thicket.

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