Word Count → 576 :: OOC
What had he done? Had he really killed his own brother? Watched as life slipped from his crimson eyes? Did the blood of his litter-mate really stain his hands? It was like some terrible nightmare come to realization, and he surely would have fallen into madness had it not been for one simple truth; Columbine had been dead long before Helotes had slit the man’s throat. No, Helotes was not sure whom he had killed, but it was not Columbine, not his brother. Then why, why did his heart hurt so? Why did it feels like a part of him had been forcibly cut out? He was plagued by the images of what he had done, and though he felt no remorse for it, he still felt a heart-pang that was nearly unbearable.
Helotes could not even find solace in the knowledge that all he must do to have Zana’s heart was to ask the Aquila’s permission, which surely would be granted now after what he had done. He had put the Infernian leader’s life before that of his own flesh and blood, and such an act could not be ignored. But Helotes would not ask now, could not ask now; he could not even face anyone now until he had come to peace with what he had done.
Therefore, Helotes had taken leave of the mansion for several nights, taking to sleeping in the forests. He hadn’t eaten, his fur was matted and he smelled terribly; he had welled in his own mind and now was finally coming to terms with his actions. Columbine was gone, and he could mourn him now, and feel no guilt; he was protecting his home, his family and his livelihood.
Finally uprooting himself from the spot beneath a fur tree he had been in for the last day and a half, Helotes stretched out tired muscles to move towards the hot springs, which was not too far off. He had chosen to seek refuge in the constant mist of the place and the relative privacy it provided. Now the idea of sinking into the bubbling water seemed like heaven, and it did not take long for him to reach and pool and immediately sink into its depths. He immersed and then surfaced once more to look into sky, stars just beginning to emerge from the veil of the sunset. He sighed, and then, heard something. It was a soft sound, a sad sound, and Helotes looked up and through the mist, only on the other side of the pool was a figure. He recognized her to be his sister, Omni, and she was crying. His ears flicked back against his head, and for a moment he hesitated, wondering if he was ready to face anyone, let alone a simpering female. But she was his sister, and he had love for her so he made his way over, Omni, he said softly, What is wrong? And then, realizing that they were indeed in a hot spring, and such a thing would not be good for a pregnant woman, he reached under the water to grab her about the waste to lift her onto the bank, but he recoiled when his hands touched her, for there was an absence there where there should have been a fullness, Oh no… He looked at her through the haze of the mist, Oh Omni… I’m so sorry… And his heart broke all over again.
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