She said and did nothing as the white Luperci beside her sank to his knees, avoiding her incriminating gaze. As she listened to his anguished voice, as she listened to the sheer pain and grief in his lament, she could not help but to feel a shred of sympathy for the man that had lost not one, but two children, no matter how vile and despicable the one was. What Taliesin spoke of as true and what his actions told her was true were two different things - she would not speak of it, but she made a note in the back of her mind, reminding her of this.
But then, what would she have done? She loved her family; her pack was as good as her family. She fought for both with loyalty, love, an iron devotion that no transgression could crush. Her spirit would not be broken; those who had harmed her family were no longer family. This who had harmed her pack were her sworn enemies.
She stood straight and tall, her tail high and ears perked and erect as she listened to the extent of Taliesin's speech. She did not respond immediately afterwards, but rather stared at the Border Tree. Stared at its branches, its leaves, its intricate markings left in the bark. Stared at what it stood for. She stood, solidly stoic, for a long moment, so that it almost appeared like she would never answer; finally, however, she spoke.
"Liam is doomed. Ayasha is also doomed, although in a different way," she began lowly and quietly. She then turned to face Taliesin, looking into his eyes although he did not look into hers. "I won't punish you, Taliesin... but Liam is family no more. He does not deserve the blessings that family give one another." Her eyes then softened - she realized the pain Taliesin was going through, the inner turmoil. The hardships that he must be suffering; all must be unbearable to him, to go through them so fast and to have reminders of the past at every turn.
"I'm sorry that you had to be reminded of that," she said more gently. "If nothing else, remember that you have us - your pack; we'll always be here for you."
Image courtesy of auensen
<style>.GR2_Skye3 p {padding:0px 15px 5px 15px; margin:0px; text-indent:25px;}
.GR2_Skye3 b {font-family:verdana; color:#2b4131; margin:5px; font-size:10px; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:1px;}
.GR2_Skye3 {background-color:#d9dccb; font-family:verdana; font-size:10px; color:#7a8476; line-height:12px; width:500px; text-align:justify; background-image:url(http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3425/atable17.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding:210px 0px 5px 0px; border:5px solid #7a8476; margin:0 auto; border-radius:18px; -moz-border-radius:18px; -webkit-border-radius:18px; box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d; -moz-box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d; -webkit-box-shadow:2px 2px 3px #1d1d1d;}
.GR2_Skye3 .inner {margin:0 10px; background-image:url(http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/4346/21bn0ba.png); border-radius:10px; border:2px solid #7a8476; }
.GR2_Skye3 .name {text-align:center; font-family:Alegreya SC; font-size:65px; text-shadow:#102015 1px 1px 1px; padding:0px 15px 0px 15px; line-height:33px; letter-spacing:1px;}
.GR2_Skye3 .lyrics {color:#2b4131; text-align:center; font-family:Alegreya SC; font-size:13px; padding:0px 15px 0px 15px; line-height:10px; letter-spacing:1px; }
.GR2_Skye3 .ooc {text-align:center; font-family:verdana; color:#102015; font-size:9px; border-bottom:2px dotted #7a8476; padding:5px 15px 0px 15px; }
p.template-credit {text-indent:0px; text-align:center; font-size:10px; font-style:italic; width:425px; text-align:center; margin:0px auto;}</style>