The Way It Ends

He let out a sigh as her demeanor changed, seeing that she wanted to fight this. Her words only proved his thoughts, his head turning away from her as he looked across the plains. These had been his home since he was a young adult, a fraction of his age now. Leaving wasn't ideal, it never would be. ”You must know that this is hard for me. But I won't be gone forever. Abaven has been my home for too long to just walk away. You also know that I can't do this again, I can't let Abaven grow quiet again while I'm off chasing geese. Not again…” Letting out another shaky breath, he turned back to look into her golden eyes. ”I can't give up on this either. I can't keep going when I know that they are out there somewhere. They have to be. You can send out search parties to help, Finch refuses to leave my side so she can act as a messenger between the two of us. That is her rank anyways. I'll come home to you, Vali, to Abaven. I always do.” His voice choked on the emotion of all of this, stepping forward to push his chest into hers. Wrapping his neck around her, Bass nibbled on her scruff. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest, his breaths coming out in ragged gasps. He was tired and sore, but this hurt more than anything else.