There was a strange atmosphere in the Holt; everybody was a bit uneasy, a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness. No one seemed to be able to sit still for long, and Tyleet said that her cub was kicking inside her belly. Even Krim, who had been told to calm down now that she was with cub, was preparing to hunt with the rest, claiming that she had to lose some energy.

Shaking his head, Cutter frowned. He felt nothing of the excitement some of his tribesmen said to be feeling - he just felt anxious. Leetah said it was because he'd slept so badly due to the heat, but he found it hard to believe. Something was about to happen, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't like it.

But now he had his responsibilities. The Chieftain stood up from where he sat on a thick branch overlooking the clearing, jumped down and overlooked the hunters. He always had to approve of the hunting party, mostly to prevent reckless youngsters from running off by themselves. Or, as it was now, to make sure not more than half of the tribe was going.

"Scouter, Dewshine, you're staying here," he sent. "Not open for debate," he added sternly when he felt their rebellious response brewing. Scowling, the couple subsided and went back.

"Mender, Teir, this is supposed to be a peaceful hunt. Can you manage that?" The two rivals exchanged a glance, looked back to Cutter and shrugged - oddly synchronized. "I'll leave him alone if he doesn't bother me," replied the strange newcomer. "Same here," sent the blond-curled healer. With an exasperated look at the two idiots, Cutter decided to choose for them. "Mender, you're staying here. No arguments." With a last dirty look at Teir, Mender strode back to the Father Tree. Oh, how they reminded Cutter of Rayek and himself.

"Clearbrook, Redlance - I want you two to stay too." To his relief, they simply nodded and started walking back, sending to each other in calm conversation.

That left a hunting party consisting of Strongbow, Treestump, Nightfall, Krim - who, he was sure, would not stay -, Pike, and Teir. Nodding his approval, Cutter sent, "Hunt, my friends, and return safely." And with that, the hunters were off. Nightfall waved at him and Pike smiled over his shoulder; Cutter attempted a smile in response, and thought he succeeded.

As soon as they were out of sight, Cutter jumped back to his branch and sat down against the trunk, brooding. What was going to happen? And where were Ember and Skywise, anyway?

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Not long afterwards, Cutter was dozing in the tree when he felt a familiar tingling sensation in his mind. Normally, the approach of Skywise was electrifying - now it made his anxiety worse, which confused him to no end.

Trying to push away the feeling, he stood up and ran lightly across the branches of the trees surrounding their precious Holt, until he'd reached the central tree. Cutter skidded to a halt when he saw Ember and Skywise; they were walking, side by side, in a different way than they normally would have. He couldn't say what had changed - but it worried him.

Several elves looked up from what they were doing when the duo came close, and Leetah rose to meet them. Ember and Skywise stopped in front of her and spoke to her, strangely… serene. Suddenly, Leetah gasped. Some of the others hastily went to her, and soon the entire tribe was gathered around Ember and Skywise, whispering urgently to one another, asking questions and answering with wide eyes. Cutter was somehow unwilling to go to them.

Meanwhile, Ember and Skywise were as calm as ever. Skywise said something to the others, then started climbing the Father Tree. "Tam?" Cutter almost flinched when he felt it, and he had the ridiculous urge to hide from his Brother in All but Blood. He suppressed it, and sent, "Here, Fahr." Skywise looked up in his direction and nodded when he spotted him. Soon, they were sitting side by side, snuggled against each other because there was so little room on the branch.

"So, what's the matter? Why the fuss?" Cutter asked, trying to sound casual. His Brother wasn't fooled; Skywise sighed and let his head fall back against the trunk, looking up at his beloved stars. Cutter couldn't see any through the leaves, but Skywise always seemed to see stars - even when there was very little sky visible.

"This is awkward," Skywise sent eventually. Cutter frowned; he thought there was nothing even remotely awkward between them. Didn't they share everything?

"Can't you guess?" Skywise continued uncertainly. He looked Cutter in the eye and bit his lip. "Ember and I… we…" He cleared his throat and lowered his eyes. "We… Recognized."

"Oh…" Cutter didn't know what to say, or what to think for that matter. This would definitely need time to sink in.

"We've decided to be 'together' for a while. Until the cub is born, and perhaps a while after that," Skywise added hastily, as if he wanted to say it before he lost the courage.

Ah, yes. There would be a cub. Strangely, Cutter didn't mind that idea at all. He was sure Skywise would be a great father, and Ember had wanted a child for some time. They'd make a nice pair, with a child to match.

It also meant that Skywise would not be close to him for quite some time. He'd made it clear that he wanted to concentrate on his Recognition, and that meant of course that he would invest all his time and energy into it. Cutter smiled wryly; perhaps it would be a relief for Skywise, to be rid of his bothersome 'shadow' for a while.

Skywise was looking at him almost disbelievingly. "You're not… dunno… hurt?"

Suddenly overcome, Cutter pulled Skywise close to him and crushed him in a fierce hug. "Yes, I am," he sent sincerely, "I will miss you so badly, Fahr. I realize that I won't be able to rely on you - and your support means everything to me." He pulled back a little to look Skywise in the eye, to show him how much he meant it. Which was ridiculous, of course, since sending was about the purest form of communication possible. Still, eye contact was strangely intimate.

After a moment's hesitation, Cutter continued, "You need this, Ember needs this… the cub needs this. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your happiness." He smiled disarmingly. "And we all know that you could use a little respite - I've been stalking you from the moment I could walk." To his relief, Skywise laughed at that.

Then, Skywise pulled Cutter close. "I'm glad you take this so well, Tam."

The Chieftain snorted and buried his face in the Stargazer's soft white hair. "Did you expect me to make a scene?"

"I feared you might."

No more needed to be said. They sat there, hidden from sight, just enjoying each other's closeness. After a while, Skywise became a bit restless; Cutter knew that he wanted to go to his Recognized. It did not feel wrong, as he had thought it would, but rather like something natural. Yes, they made a nice pair.

They released each other at exactly the same time - eliciting a smile - and got up. Effortlessly, they descended again and ended up close to Moonshade, who was tanning a doe's skin. She looked up and smiled a bit uncertainly - glad because a new cub was on its way, Cutter realized.

Skywise was already on his way to Ember, who sat on a root, talking with Suntop, Tyleet and Dewshine. The Stargazer sat down on the ground in front of her and leaned back against her. Ember hugged him and pulled him close, nuzzling his neck with a contented smile. A very nice pair, thought Cutter a bit sadly.

"What will happen with Teir and Mender?" Tyleet was asking, "Now that you've Recognized, their rivalry is still undecided."

"They can do whatever they want," said Ember indifferently, "I have more important things on my mind now. Maybe they can hook up and save me a lot of trouble in the future."

Dewshine laughed, a twittering sound that every single Wolfrider couldn't help but love. She fell silent, though, when she looked around and saw Cutter. Tyleet followed her gaze and her smile died away too. As the Wolfriders noticed him one by one, a hushed silence fell, as if they were unsure if they were supposed to find this a good thing. Even Suntop looked a bit uncertain, where previously he'd been watching his twin sister happily.

Cutter looked at his beloved daughter and smiled; she beamed back at him and pulled Skywise even closer to her. The Stargazer took her hand and smiled at Cutter with shining eyes - from happiness, sadness, or both, Cutter couldn't tell.

Cutter then sought his lifemate with his eyes. Leetah turned out to be sitting with a sulking Mender in an alcove nearby, comforting him. She looked up and smiled widely; she, too, approved of the pair.

The Chief let his gaze roam those assembled at the base of the Father Tree and grinned, nodding. They all brightened, as if he'd given them permission to be happy about this. And, in a way, he had.