Hei Yan hesitated for a brief second before stepping onto the woven blanket. For a massive, apex predator who usually moved with the grace of a shadow, he sat down with the awkwardness of a giant, overgrown puppy trying not to break a delicate teacup.
He crossed his long, muscular legs, resting his large hands on his knees.
In the warm, flickering orange light of the fire, his dark skin seemed to glow, highlighting the battle-hardened scars crisscrossing his chest.
His panther ears, sitting atop his dark hair, twitched nervously.
He looked down at his hands, refusing to meet her eyes. What did he want to talk about?
"I... I wanted to apologize," Hei Yan rumbled, his deep voice barely above a whisper. "For this morning. In the Badlands. I nearly crushed you when I pounced. And… and I am sorry for how I acted back in the Neutral Zone. And how I acted….then. When I banished you from my tribe."
Xin Yi stared at him, her brown eyes widening in shock.
