My Will Brings Down The Moon

Ciná was careful to conceal his internal dread as Tira's mother told him to walk with her, instead just nodding in agreement and replying, "Of course. Lead the way." He had sincerely hoped that the first time he'd be having a discussion with the mother of his lover and the new alpha of their pack would be with Tira next to him to help him get a better read on Aslatiel's feelings toward him, but with Tira still nowhere in sight he was left with no choice but to just do his best to not get himself kicked out of the pack or worse. With a quick steadying breath after Asla had turned away to begin following the curves of the river, Ciná followed after her and easily fell into step beside the much smaller wolf. Even though she was half of his height she still managed to have quite the imposing presence which certainly explained where Tira got it from.

As Asla commented on him being too "shy" to introduce himself to her and citing that as the reason for her seeking him out, Ciná chuckled and gave her a slightly guilty grin. "Too shy? Never. Too scared... maybe," he replied with humor on his tone. He didn't really know what to expect from Asla, but he did his best to stay cool and collected regardless. The mention of Tira being more than capable of dealing with him herself made him smirk and he replied, "That she is." It was one of the things he liked about her. He didn't want some helpless damsel in distress and Tira was about as far from that as he could get in such a small package.

As they settled at the edge of the river, the slightly light, teasing tone suddenly shifted to the not so subtle threat that he had half been expecting from Asla as he was reminded of just how precious Tira was to her. Even though Tira was indeed fully capable of taking off his balls if he hurt her, it was a reminder that she still had a very protective mother backing her up too. While that reminder was definitely heard and noted, he was actually a little jealous of Tira in that moment. Never in his life had he had someone so protective or concerned about his well being as Asla was for Tira and for a moment he was just glad that Tira had someone like that.

He paused, bringing his golden gaze up to the starry, amethyst eyes of Asla as she questioned him over whether or not Tira was precious to him too. The idea of genuinely caring for someone and considering someone "precious" was a frightening thought. Everyone had always slipped from his paws, leaving him stranded again and again, so admitting how close he had grown to Tira was hard, but he couldn't lie to Asla either. "She is," he replied genuinely after a moment, holding her gaze as he spoke. "Don't tell her this, but... She's the only wolf I've ever known that if she left or sent me away it would actually break me... and that's saying a lot considering how many wolves in my life have left."

Cináed