𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝘿𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙭

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TAERIC

My thoughts are racing as I pace back and forth outside the house. I had woken up this morning and made my way over to Emara's house, but when I got there, she and all the kit's scents were stale. I knocked on the door, and there was only silence.

I had worried for a moment, thinking that something had happened, but there were no indications someone had broken in or any signs of a struggle. After taking a few moments to calm down, I remembered Emara had mentioned something earlier about going somewhere. I rub my head, trying to recall exactly what she had said, but I can't remember.

They are safe, though. They are safe, right? I stop pacing. What if something had happened while they were out? What if they were in trouble and needed help? I gnaw on the inside of my cheek. Maybe I should go out looking for them just in case. Or is it better if I stay here to wait? I am still having a mental battle when a familiar scent washes over me.

I turn on my heels and take another breath to make sure that I am not imagining before racing in its direction. I come around the other side of the house just as Emara and the rest of the kits are coming into the clearing. My breath whooshes out of me. I look them over. Nothing seems wrong. As my eyes search them, I notice something very different about Emara. Her hair is down, and I haven't seen it that way before. It curls around her face in dark chocolate waves, and as the breeze blows through it, I notice a significant chunk of it that is cut away. A slight blush tinges her cheeks as she looks back at me. She is beautiful.

Emara smiles and waves awkwardly. "I am sorry. I hope we didn't worry you too badly. We had to go to the stalls. I didn't want to bother you with that. I meant to leave a fresh shirt and note to let you know, but I got distracted and forgot. Oh! But we found you some clothes I think might fit!" Emara says, smiling as she grabs a few large shirts to hand them to me. I thank her and take the shirts from her hands, looking down at them. They are an assortment of colors. I have a hard time paying attention to looking them over though, because she smells amazing. Something so intoxicatingly sweet, or maybe citrusy, and something else so entirely her own.

Emara clears her throat. "I am going to get lunch going! I am sure you are hungry. Sorry, again."

I shake my head. All that matters is that they are safe. Of course, I had been worried, but I cared deeply. She is going to save my race, and her delicate nature makes me feel a sense of responsibility. But I am not her mate. I have no attachment to her, and she had none to me. I can't expect her to tell me every little thing.

She starts to pull the cart again, and I come up beside her, silently offering to help. She smiles. "Thanks! You can just put it on the porch. I am going to unload it from there."

I nod and do as she says. There is an assortment of things inside the cart. Some look like metal containers filled with food. They ranged from fruits to meat.

"Oh, that's canned food. These are old, though. We don't have many active factories canning food. A lot of them were converted to making weapons, and lots of the trading was shut down during the wars." She pointed to some lettering on the side of it. "That is the expiration date. These were canned a few years ago, but they still have years to go before they are bad. You would be surprised. Those things could last longer than15 years as long as I keep them in the right conditions."

My eyes widen at Emara's statement, and I continue to look at the different things inside. While a large amount of what was in the cart focused on food, there were also some hygiene items such as a bar of cleanser, as well as a small fire holder Emara had called a candle. I notice a pile of clothing that seems to be more fitting for the kits or Emara. Beside it are some strips of cloth. Maybe they are to be used for cleaning in the kitchen and around the house, as I had seen Emara do? As I go to pick it up, Emara comes up beside me. Seeing what I am doing, she snatches them out of the cart.