[JIMINIE]
"We can overlook that. You don't have to leave, alpha."
"We don't mind Beta Lee leading us, just stay. Don't leave."
"We'll learn to have him around, don't go."
The wolves were desperate. This was not even about losing their alpha. This was about losing Jiminie. Most of them had grown up alongside the alpha. They had lived their lives and had gotten happier because of him.
He was their ultimate protector and friend, a leader who didn't care about what happened to him, one who sacrificed himself if there was a need for that.
Jiminie cared for Kiyoto in ways that no one ever had, and the bond he had with them was the kind that many would have a hard time giving up for another.
This was almost like they were saying goodbye to a family member, someone they loved way too much to lose, and yet someone who also had a path of his own. Someone who wanted to take a break after so many years.
Oh, but it was going to be a really long season.
