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Was the…? Right. Perhaps Senka should work on censoring some of the violence from her story, though she could not imagine why it should be necessary. She had heard much worse as a pup, herself. Then again, Senka came from a warrior pack and this pup tended flowers… Good thing she hadn’t launched into a tale of tragedy or terror. The poor thing would probably have nightmares for weeks.

“The moose was fine,” she assured, though she had no idea what had happened to it other than the fact that Cinaed had not killed it then and there. Who knows. It might have survived the broken leg. “And he only did it to save Nessa’s life. A worthy cause, I should think. An injury for a life.” Was she really going to argue her morals against Illiad’s mother’s morals? And…did this constitute corruption of youth? Hmm…well, what the mother chose to teach her pups was no business of hers.

“Regardless,” she said, leaving those odd questions behind, “A little while became weeks and weeks became months. Somehow, Nessa and Cinaed never parted ways. As they traveled, they learned about each other. Little by little, they opened up to each other, becoming companions and confidants. And then, as these things happen, their feelings grew, quietly, until, before they knew it, they felt more for each other than either could have ever expected. They were falling in love.

“Neither knew how the other felt, of course, and though Nessa was bold and Cinaed was outspoken, neither was yet brave enough to be the first to confess their feelings. This went on for a few weeks until, once more, Nessa found herself isolated and over her head in danger. This time, she ran afoul of a dangerous group of rogue wolves…”

Again? How could this pup be so concerned for the moose? It was food. Dangerous food, but food nonetheless. It had even attacked Nessa. Perhaps it had something to do with the pup's mother and their strange, flower-loving ways. Senka shook her head and decided to ignore the whole thing. It was probably for the best

Now, where was she?

"Nessa had been running off in a snit about something or another that Cinaed had done or not done. It was inconsequential, however. What was truly upsetting her was their lack of progress. The way they kept dancing around their feelings for each other.

"So distracted was she with this that she failed to notice the scent of other wolves until she was nearly upon them. By then, it was too late. They had discovered her.

"Now, Nessa might have been a strong fighter, despite her small size, but the fact remained. There were five of them to her one, and they were large; strong, despite being lean; and there was something off about them. Their scent was all wrong. Bitter. Diseased. Their eyes held a mad light.

"All it took was one startled move from Nessa to set them off. They struck."

Ah, blessed silence. She had hardly dared hope it might happen.

"Now, Cinaed had been feeling a little irritated at Nessa's mood-swings, and was equally frustrated with their lack of progress. However, he was not so angry that he did not worry about the fiery female. He knew all too well the sort of trouble she got herself into when she was alone, so it was not very long before he started after her, determined to end their ridiculous dance and confront the matter of their feelings, one way or another.

"What he had not expected was to hear the sounds of battle ahead, though he could not in all honesty claim that it surprised him. However, when he caught the scent of blood on the air, he lost any calm he might have had and charged into the fray."

Senka eyed the pup, wondering just how much detail to go into. The truth of the matter was that the rogues had not survived the confrontation. However, this sensitive little pup who even cared for the welfare of a moose might not take very well to that. Perhaps here was where she should exercise some of that discretion.

"Cinaed burst from the forest, quicker than lightening, and barreled into the the rogue that was closest to Nessa, knocking him away. He went flying to slam hard against a tree, but by then Cinaed had already moved on to the next assailant, snapping at him even as he kicked out at a third rogue.

"He was a force to behold. A furious, unstoppable warrior, and he did not stop until the rogues were" -dead- "defeated. Of course, Nessa was not idle. She had already weakened her attackers, despite being outnumbered, and helped fend them off after Cinaed had arrived, fighting with renewed vigor, even through her injuries."

"The battle won," she continued, "Cinaed stood still, his head bowed, panting. Nessa, though still a little shaken by her latest brush with danger, approached the huge male, hesitated a moment, then said his name.

"Well, Cinaed had had enough. While Nessa's penchant for danger might have shaken her, it had terrified him. What if he had lost her? What if he never saw her again? It would be more than he could bear. So, when she spoke his name, he whirled around and pinned her with a fierce stare and proclaimed his feelings for her, telling her how much she meant to him, how he would sooner die than live without her. Telling her how much he loved her.

"At first, Nessa was taken aback. It was the last thing that she had expected to hear, especially at such a time as that. However, soon enough, his words sunk in and she found herself grinning, and then laughing for the sheer joy of it. He loved her! They would never have to be apart!

"So, quite naturally, they became mates and went on to have many more adventures together before they settled down in a territory of their own, where they lived happily ever after until the end of their days, and where their descendants still live."

Senka found a little smile creeping onto her maw at the the story. Truly. Nessa and Cinaed were always her favorite. Ah. But what did her audience think?

Senka listened with incredulous amusement as the pup tried to explain herself before considering her words.

"Well, Nessa was certainly not very well off after the attack," she conceded. "However, it hardly warranted seeking out a magical cure nor did she appear to be dead...this time. Theirs is a very long tale, pup. We hardly have time for the whole thing now. That was simply the story of how they came to fall in love. There is so much more."

She eyed the pup.

"However, you cannot expect all stories to have happy endings, nor even tragic-but-not-really-happy ones. There are many nightmares in the world, as well."

Obviously, this pup knew nothing of the nightmares that stalked you even when you were awake. Senka wondered whether she should rectify that, or if it would just be cruel. As for the offer, well...

On one paw, it would be a shame to leave Cinaed and Nessa's story unfinished, even to a silly, curious pup like this one. On the other paw...

"I really should be going," she declined. "I have a lot of traveling to do, and your mother is doubtless missing you. However, I will likely pass through here on my way back. Perhaps I shall see you again, Illiad, and tell you another tale."

"I must go," she said as she rose to her paws, seemingly immune to the pleading look in the pup's eyes. "Perhaps we will meet again."

With that, the shadowy female stretched, turned, and padded off into the forest, continuing on her way.