but i still love her, i don't even care

Rhyme felled the medium sized sheep with a final bleat of the desperate animal. The rest of its little herd had long scattered, this one unable to decide if it should have gone left or right. Rhyme had taken advantage of the animal’s indecision to feed the hungry mouths he helped to make. Shaye and Tana both would do well to partake in the fat sheep, and its thick curly hide would do well to help insulate their dens during the harshness of winter. He wasn’t about to let any of his pups freeze to death.

He looked down at the fresh kill, feeling accomplished for the day, though he knew it was far from over. He’d done his best to double up on patrols, and he found himself hunting more often. He didn’t have any time for himself anymore, but he hadn’t complained. Being busy kept him from relying on alcohol to soothe his mind. He also wasn’t about to get in anymore trouble with everything he had on his plate already.

Being so busy he hadn’t talked to Shaye much since the day she’d revealed he’d gotten her pregnant. However, she was never far from his mind. Despite the hardship and how much it hurt, he felt himself growing excited for the next generation to enter Abaven. Rhyme was lost in his thoughts, and already Imperia and Solitude had descended on the carcass. He didn’t see the danger sneaking up on him and the birds.