couldn't do it without you

Corvus found himself perfectly content with the quiet, somewhat reclusive life he'd settled into. He found himself thinking that things would most likely change when the seasons changed, that he and Twig would find the motivation to begin teaching classes soon to any interested pupils - but the changes that came instead were not quite what he expected. Not long ago he'd found Theory seriously unwell, and though he'd made an effort to figure out what had happened, she'd disappeared not long after. He'd followed her scent west but he'd lost it not long after, and he feared what would happen if he stayed away from Abaven for long. Even if the formal structure of Abaven had crumbled, this was still their home and he needed to be present for the wolves that remained.

He felt only a slight sense of relief upon returning home. Though these lands were comforting to him in their own right, the fading pack borders didn't settle well with him. Theory was gone, though he was determined to continue searching for her until he found answers, and while some wolves remained here... others clearly had begun to disperse. Twig was his constant though, and he knew she'd be here when he returned. Though he'd hoped to bring back better news at least he'd caught whiff of Theory's scent even if he hadn't been able to fully track it down. She was alive, even if unwell; he tried to push that thought from his mind as he searched out his mate.

The comfort he hadn't quite found upon returning home was instead found in the soft features of Twig. The tension that had been building in his shoulders seemed to loosen all at once - not completely, for how could he be totally at ease after the very pack he'd been born into was now gone? - but it was palpable. She was working away starting a fire, and he allowed the smallest of smiles to touch his lips. No matter how dark the world was, she was a beacon of light for him, just as she'd always been since the moment he'd begun to fall for her. "I missed you," he breathed quietly as he moved to embrace her. He'd give her what little update he had for her in a moment, but for now he was content simply to press against her and be reminded of what hadn't been ripped away from him.