As Nathan forced himself to find things to do, Griffin was flying as fast as he could, trying to reach his destination by nightfall. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could go home.
[Are you sure it's okay to leave Nathan and Axel by themselves?] Kael asked. [Not that I'm doubting his ability to take care of himself, but he's relied on you for quite a while already. This is the first time you've been separated for more than a couple hours since we found them.]
Griffin wasn't thrilled about the reminder. "I know. But if I don't do this now, he'll have to wait until next winter to get this coat. By next week it'll be too cold for me to come this far north."
Dragons, being creatures of fire, didn't care for or were suited for cold climates. Griffin was only pushing himself because he wanted Nathan to have the best.
He was also hiding the design of the coat because he'd designed it after the clothes he'd seen in Dark Moon Pack when he'd been there after the massacre.
When Griffin and a few other dragons heard about the impending battle, they'd tried to rush there to stop it but were too late. The only thing they found were ruins and bodies. The dragons took the time to bury the bodies and gave them the proper burials they deserved, never knowing that there was one survivor nearby. Griffin still remembered that day with perfect clarity.
Griffin was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice that he'd been losing altitude. Fast.
[Griffin!] Kael screamed as he took control before they crashed.
Griffin, shoved to the back of his mind at the take over was shocked back to the present. "What?! What just happened?"
Kael flew them higher before responding. [You almost crashed. If you can't focus, I will take over until we get home.]
"Sorry," Griffin said, shaking his head, trying to clear it. "Thanks for watching out for me."
Kael kept control, not quite trusting Griffin to take over yet. Several minutes passed before he talked again. [It's not your fault, you know. There's nothing you could have done. The vampires, especially Draken, were determined to wipe out the werewolves. Even if you had managed to stop them that day, they would've been back with a new plan.]
Griffin sighed, his heart heavy at the thought. "You're right. Let's just do what we came for and go home."
Kael pulled back, letting Griffin take over again. [Yeah. But be careful. I don't want to have to drag your broken body back to our mate.]
Griffin chuckled as he adjusted their path.
**********
Three days. Griffin had been gone for three days and Nathan felt like he was losing his mind from worry. Every morning, after waking up alone, Nathan went on his morning run before spending the rest of the morning waiting at the clearing, hoping to be there when Griffin returned.
It was the third morning he'd done this that he couldn't help but ask Axel, "Are you sure he'll be back?"
Axel sighed, [Yes, I'm sure. I know he didn't tell you how long he'd be but I'm sure he'll be back soon.]
Nathan laid on the ground, his fur soaking up the morning sun. Axel let him lay there until noon when he encouraged him to move. [Come on, Nate. Let's get something to eat and work on clearing out the storage some more.]
Nathan let out a small whine before standing and shaking out his coat. "Fine."