Word Count:412
Taliesin's voice greeted her ears in response to her worried question. The red-grey appendages twitched as he spoke. Taliesin sounded awfully downtrodden for a poet and a new father. Something had gone wrong. AS their neighbor, Hotaru often heard the loudest events in Skye's house, but that didn't mean she knew everything about the mated couple. Something big must have transpired recently to put the Protettore in such a strange mood. Hotaru couldn't help but feel just a little bit sorry for the male. He had lost a pup not long ago, her life taken by her older brother. It had put a strain on the couple, although Hotaru was under the impression that their lives had regained a semblance of normality. Form the sound of things, she was wrong.
"You needn't worry, I had just finished my carvings when I heard the commotion." Footsteps alerted Hotaru to Taliesin's approach, but he stopped before he reached her. When she realized that he was collecting the bone shards, Hotaru too bent down to help pick up the broken bits of bone. She let one dexterous paw trail slowly across the ground until it bumped against a piece of bone, which she deposited into the other paw. Hotaru worked slowly and kept her questions to herself. She knew that when one was injured mentally, it was best not to ask. However, curiosity and worry built up in the grey female's chest. Her pack mate was hurting, but the cause of his pain was not known to her. His breath came as quivering gasps and the sound of bone hitting the ground filled the air.
For one reason or another, Taliesin felt the need to continually apologize to her. He opened up to her a little, but it wasn't enough for her to grasp the situation. Without stopping her work she said, "Taliesin, if I may. I once heard a wise wolf say, 'The most painful state of being is remembering the future, particularly the one you'll never have.' Whatever had happened, whatever news you received, try not to dwell on it. But if you feel overwhelmed, than I suggest finding someone to confide it. Believe me, it will make you feel better." Hotaru remember her own experience with Juliet. Although it wasn't the most positive memory, after she told her story to Juliet an invisible weight had lifted off her shoulders. It was a painful experience, but it helped her in the long run.
Table by Chazza