The feminine mirror before him tried to ease his tumultuous soul, and a small part of him tried to obey when she meant to calm him, but the more stubborn, scorned part of his soul would not give in. The most that he offered in return was the slight unclenching of his fists, but his fingers were still tense. It was all he could do to keep from lashing out. “Of course your protection would be paramount to your… people… but he could stand watch from a distance, you knew it was me. Or have you forgotten so much of who you are and where you came from that you did not even recognize my voice?” He huffed and looked away dismissively.
But she was easing forward now, coming closer to him, and it was not long before his gaze slowly made its way back to her visage. He stood still as a statue even as she was nearly against him, belying what churned beneath his stony surface. This was one of the hardest battles he had ever fought. He had trained, sparred, met with foes, and had even challenged (and lost to) X’yrin herself. He was an Exultare, a being of brute strength and impenetrable force, yet somehow – without even a second scuffle – she had destroyed his defenses and sent him reeling. For seasons he had told himself that all he wanted was her to acknowledge what she had done, and to forgive him, and to be with him again instead of the Other, but even if those things were a possibility, he was still far too lost in his rage to see it.
Part of what he wanted, he was getting now. The autumn wolfess ambled away from the gray one and up to him, reminding him, as he had spat at her, that they were still family – telling him that they should not be this way. For a moment he gazed down at his sister’s face, his muzzle wrought with a scowl, but he did not move to stop her. Eyelids slowly fluttered closed as he took in a deep breath, surrounded with his sister’s scent, and almost forgot X’ies was even there. His shields momentarily broken, he bent to kneel before her so he might, in some stiff way, accept the embrace.
A soft whimper meant only for her escaped him. He missed her. He didn’t know what to do without her. There was no place for him, not unless he could right everything that had gone wrong…
…everything because of her.