there's no way out of this dark place

He was partially thankful that she didn’t press the why he couldn’t fully embrace his relationship with Aslatiel. She knew Sirius, she could easily guess. Part of him had wished that she had advise on how to cure his pain with uniting with his sister, but really he’d known what was coming. He couldn’t have what he really wanted. Iolaire held him close, and Indy pushed into her soft fur and took comfort from her closeness.

He should have expected her answer as well, but as the words fell from her lips it was as though his last tiny bit of hope was finally snuffed out. Indigo felt himself break. His breath shortened and he felt overwhelmed with the reality that held him. Aslatiel would belong to someone else, that fact was undisputable. Tears welled up into his eyes as he shifted slightly to hold tightly to his aunt.

Iolaire didn’t sugar coat his diagnosis, there was one cure and it wasn’t certain to work. She looked into his eyes that had filled with tears and spilled over down his cheeks. Io quieted, giving her best solution as he lay his head on his paws, feeling the finality of it all. He’d have to live with his emotions until time saw fit to sweep them away. Maybe simply getting away would work. He sniffled lightly, his huge form listless.

”Can I stay here with you for a little while?” Now that he’d been given the closest thing to a solution he didn’t want to do anything. He wished for the world to continue on around him, without him. Maybe it would be better if he never recovered.