Everything had come to a head yesterday. Wounds reopened as though they’d been fresh, happening right in that moment. As nice as it was to have Eryan back, she wasn’t really back. A piece of her died when the news had been broken to her and she’d not left Sherman’s furs since coming back. Eilidh had wanted to try and reach out to her; sure, the woman intentionally pushed buttons frequently, but that was their thing. It was like having another sibling, a sister, a friend. But, no jokes were had, no poking fun. She hadn’t moved, leaving E to watch after her from afar, trying to give her space and feeling the tears that had welled up threatening to spill over that never did.<br/><br/>The rest of that day, she was quiet, watching the others in the pack and attempting conversation when they seemed open to it but for the most part, she kept to herself, grateful for the day’s end. Another prayer was said, this one with a long adage for her friend, hoping tomorrow would bring about some sort of a development. Anything. As long as she felt the pain and worked through it, Eilidh would be happy.<br/><br/>Even if that meant letting her get in more jabs than usual.<br/><br/>Sleep didn’t come easy for her, worse than it had the days prior, but it did eventually come. Her dreams were filled with images of the battle that had broken out, with their fallen packmates, with Sherman’s face. The panic that set in had her tossing and turning for a long while, unable to change her mind’s focus, until it shifted to something worse: the what ifs. What if Eryan had been there when it’d gone down? What if she hadn’t survived while trying to help him when he’d been hit? What if Eidhin hadn’t made it? What if none of them had?<br/><br/>Warmth encompassed her, hotter than the warmth the furs provided, bringing her slowly around, her mind quieting and her body becoming more aware of what was around her. His arm, it was Eidhin’s pulling her closer that roused her more completely from her sleep, shaking off the curtain of bad dreams as the kisses he pressed into her skin registered. Next noticed was the food just as he described it, her stomach churning at the smell of the meat that was cooked while the wolf in her begged for some.<br/><br/>“You didn’t seem to mind my cooking when we were on our own, if I remember correctly,” Eilidh replied, a yawn causing her words to falter for a moment before regaining her train of thought. A light smile pulled at her lips as she rolled to look at him, a finger poking him in the chest. “Just because my food doesn’t run from me doesn’t mean it’s not good.”<br/><br/>He fake growled at her, "Yes it does. And I did not mine the food because it had meat in it." Grip pulled her closer, "Why don't you just let the wolf have what she needs? Going to make her all grumpy and then I don't get to play with her."  The pout on his lips was most certainly fake and he knew ineffective when it came to her. However, he would still try regardless.<br/><br/>That had her narrowing her eyes and fighting against his pull, flicking his nose. “The wolf gets what she needs just fine, thank you very much,” she snorted. “Besides, you couldn’t handle playing with her, happy or otherwise…so I’d take this time without her as a reprieve where you get to maintain your masculinity.”<br/><br/>It took everything in her not to break out in a grin right there, but she held her predominantly serious face, erring on the side of innocent, while looking up at him as though she’d not just challenged him in such a fashion.<br/><br/>A huff left his lips and he leaned down to nuzzle her neck further, "Is that so? I seem to recall it differently last time she was out..." To prove a point he shared a memory with her through their link. Where she admitted, rather vocally that she belonged to him. Over and over again.<br/><br/>His nuzzles went momentarily ignored as her mind focused on what he was saying, only to be overwhelmed with a memory, a vivid memory. The wolf was suddenly at attention, pacing and wanting to get out as it continued to play out, Eilidh’s mind just as focused on it as the wolf was.<br/><br/>“…Yes, really. She only said that to…to humor you…” Clearing her throat, she pushed him back and rolled back over to her side of their furs, unwilling to really leave their bed to properly<span style="font-style: italic">leave</span>.<br/><br/>"Oh? Is that a fact?" he asked, already rolled over into her space, his chest pressed against her back, lips at a certain spot on the back of her neck. "Was that all it was? Because as I remember it..." another flash of memory "It seemed more like she willingly and eagerly submitted to me."<br/><br/>She knew it’d happen, but that didn’t stop her from groaning as it did, his chest suddenly burning into her back and his lips hot on her neck. The memory took over her mind again, the wolf eagerly wanting to get out for a repeat performance with Eilidh forcing her to stay down, unwilling to relinquish control. “She’d never submit willingly, or eagerly…I think I know her a bit better than you do,” came her reply, albeit a bit breathless. “It’s just your inflated ego that’s making you think otherwise.”<br/><br/>"If you say so," he murmured at her ear. "But I bet someone will be eager to play later..." this time he gave her neck a sharp nip and then sat up in their<span style="font-style: italic">bed</span>. "Are we doing breakfast in bed today? Do you want me to just eat you...I mean bring you something to eat?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Later?</span>her mind instantly answered, inhaling a sharp breath as he nipped her neck, the wolf tempted to take over, roll him over and resume where the memories had left off.<span style="font-style: italic">She’s eager now…</span>Letting out a breath, she stretched out as he sat up, pushing her back again as she tried to calm down, to relax herself. Instead, she was met with his “slip of the tongue”, causing her to audibly groan once again. “Don’t tempt me. We should probably be social…”<br/><br/>"Ah yeah...that thing we do now. Because...pack life and stuff...right?" he said in seriousness. Even given how long they had been with the pack, he still had trouble shaking his natural desire to be alone more often than not. At least unless it was E, then he wanted her around him. Often if not all the time. "Social now, alone later. Deal?" it was more like a promise to both wolves that were more than a little displeased at not being allowed out.<br/><br/>“Yes, because pack life,” she replied, feeling the shift in his demeanor to a serious one. “Since we now have others in the pack, we don’t have to be alone anymore.” Sitting up beside him, a hand rested on his shoulder as she pressed a kiss into his cheek. “But yes…social now and alone later. Deal.” Another kiss and she was scooting to the edge of her side of the furs, stretching as she went. “If you think you and your wolf can wait that long.”<br/><br/>A glance at her from over his shoulder, "Hmmm not sure. Just try to not look so damn appealing, would you?" He leaned back to place a final kiss on her shoulder before he stood and slipped on his shorts then disappeared out of the cave to brush his teeth.<br/><br/>She watched him go, the smile that was on her lips fading after he disappeared from sight. Heavy, a breath fell from her lips as she stretched, grabbing up a bra and a shirt and pulling it on before finding a pair of pants and pulling those on, too. Shoes slipped into, she silently padded her way out of the cave, finger-combing her hair as she went before going to brush her teeth and rejoin the group. Their usual sort of breakfast was prepared, with her being relatively odd for choosing not to partake in the meat that was offered. Just<span style="font-style: italic">looking</span>at it that morning had her stomach churning despite her wolf’s insistence she should have some.<br/><br/>Closer to the heat, she’d force some down, but for now? She was holding out for as long as she was able.<br/><br/>Her mind had wandered away from the group, otherwise silent as they idly chatted around her when speaking at all. Much like Eidhin’s presence this morning, it took Aidan’s sudden confident voice to bring her back around, shaking her head at the idea to play “Chase the Bunny”…<br/><br/>…But that headshaking became more as she rolled her eyes and inwardly groaned as a certain someone volunteered to be the Bunny.<br/><br/>“The suit doesn’t even<span style="font-style: italic">fit</span>you,” came her quiet remark, glancing over at him. “We’d never be able to play the game again if you squeezed into it.”