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For Yume ! Takes place the night of the wedding

A crowd of wolves unknown to him — a blend of scents that overwhelmed his senses.

The Oni’s tongue drags roughly over his jowls in displeasure as he slowly slinks away from the wedding’s growing assembly. For diplomacy sake in the name of the Dynasty, he would not become nasty with anyone who tread too close towards him and remained neutral. Appeared neutral. Ruitō would not pretend to like these foreigners just because he tread their land. If it was up to him, he’d be at home amongst his own wolves.

Yet the woman he needed to protect was here. He had no choice but to follow along — lest something happen to her. He wouldn’t forgive himself if it did.

He dragged the thigh of a doe from the celebration’s food caches, taking it with him towards the spot where his master lied. Releasing it from his jowls and placing it before her.

Have you eaten, lady Yume?

Lady Yume….

In the past, when he rarely reached adolescence, it was Yume-chan. Perhaps duty and recognition of his station slowly changed that. Maybe even maturity was to blame, as he couldn’t possibly picture himself calling her such an embarrassing thing.

What hadn’t changed, however, was the way his shoulders relaxed in her presence. Or how his usually sharp gaze softened with comfort.

His crimson gaze sought her own, awaiting an answer.

Something tells me you have not….

Ruitō watched everything with calm, uninterrupted focus. The way she cringed as she chewed, hid her face away from him — he watched as if he wasn’t shocked to witness it at all. If there were three things that hadn’t changed about lady Yume, it was the graceful way she carried herself as she walked, the warmth of her gaze like a field of loosestrife’s in the sun—

—and how terrible a liar she was.

Or perhaps she was good at lying, and he’d been too perceptive tonight. After all, how else had she convinced him that he could take good care of her for this long? Clearly, he could not, as yet another meal he’d brought for her had gone basically untouched.

My lady is a generous woman, he says, shaking his pelt as he slowly waltzed to her side, settling upon his haunches. —but I have had my fill earlier. — a slight lie. He hasn’t really eaten recently. It was hard to when he was so focused on wanting to leave these unfamiliar forests, filled with faces he did not know nor care for, and go home to the isle of wisteria nestled westward.

To her question, he didn’t hide the annoyance in his eyes when his gaze followed the party dwellers. Surely. How else could they coax us into staying on this stuffy island? More accurately, he had gotten used to not needing to hide around her. For Yume knew of his apprehension around strangers.

Granted, the only thing Ruito knew about this pack called Tianlong is that he didn’t know them and, by that fact alone, did not like or trust them. The feeling was mutual with all the other packs that've clumped together here for the promise of wine, feast and festivities. Yet with this diplomacy visit the Empress invited others to attend with her, he needed to make sure his lady was safe.

His crimson gaze drifted to the sky, feeling a cool breeze against his pelt as a much calmer expression took hold of his otherwise severe features.

Do you ever think how things could’ve been different, my lady?