I had all, most, some and now none of you

Rhyme wasn’t thinking straight, though he would have admitted the fact to no one. His emotions were high and there was little outlet to the marathon he had run. The wounds were deep as they were raw, and he couldn’t see a path through the one forged through violence. He had been taken from and he needed to take something back. He had already dismissed his mother’s own opinion and need for freedom.

Shaye’s words were incredibly harsh and cutting as she zeroed in on the evil he would commit against his mother to get back at his father. She opened up a future he was blinded by rage to, and he could see the truth in it as well. The she wolf placed a dark paw on his shoulder as Rhyme burst out with his rage again, roaring his anger as he swiped at the ground with his paw. His actions didn’t deter the woman he loved most.

Shaye persisted, guiding him back towards the path of light, her words soft and sweet as she gently lifted him up after tearing down his emotional reaction. Of course she couldn’t reduce the hurt he felt, but suddenly the rage gave way to the vast ocean of pain it had been hiding. The confusion and betrayal he felt deep in his heart ached as he fell to his knees at Shaye’s side.

He grit his teeth as his nose touched the ground and he convulsed softly as he shook with tearless sobs. Rhyme was a grown wolf, his parents were free to make their own choices. They did as they pleased and the result was the pair of them ripping his heart out. He wanted them to feel the same way he did, hopelessly defeated and abandoned.

Shaye tried to point out the brighter side, that if Rhythm hadn’t made the decision to stand by his father all those years ago he would not even exist as they spoke. For a moment he wished she had chosen Shaye, and he never existed to feel this pain.

His breathing didn’t change much, but his determination to wreak havoc on Legion subsided. Shaye wouldn’t have to worry about him going after his mother. Even through everything he would not be the one to take his own dam’s freedom again.

”What do I do, Shaye?” He whispered, his eyes squeezed shut as he muttered into the ground. ”The pain threatens to take me.” His limbs were numb, but the hole in his chest throbbed with torturous emotion. How could he think to stand tall again when even Rhythm had turned her back to him?