i'll never forget you

Indigo had no plan, as far as he was concerned there was no future. He was a failure and he lamented the fact the hyenas hadn’t taken him as well. He was useless despite all the training and encouragement he’d been given as a pup. He’d let his best friend be killed, how could anyone trust him ever again? The boy wallowed in his sorrowful thoughts, even as Aslatiel appeared.

She was soft and quiet, and he hardly noticed her presence until she was holding tightly to him. He didn’t know how she’d gotten here or who told her his current state but she brought relief with her. Not that he deserved an ounce of it. He rumbled deeply, gritting his teeth as he did so. How could he make her understand? She started to clean his wounds, removing his, the hyena’s, and Rue’s blood.

”Stop.” He told her hoarsely, his voice weak with disuse. ”I deserve to keep it.” All he deserved was to die in his den. Aslatiel’s care and sweetness shouldn’t have been wasted on him, but then why was it so easy to let go of the fur in his grasp and shift to hold onto his sister?