"What If..."

Everything happened so quickly. Corvus reacted out of sheer instinct - the desire to protect himself against whatever rage had suddenly built inside Ignis was stronger than the confusion that swirled like a storm inside his head. He moved quickly enough that his friend - could he even call him that anymore? - let go of where he'd been holding on to him, his own weight forcing Ignis down and backwards. He couldn't anticipate how close to the cliffs they had gotten, and before he could react Ignis had stumbled backwards and over the cliffside. His reaction was to help him, despite his unpredictability, and Corvus lunged forward to try to grab hold of him, but it was too late.

Corvus felt panic welling up inside his chest. His fall seemed to go on forever, a flash of red fur eventually disappearing into the sea before. He felt his heart clench painfully as he watched and waited. He hadn't killed Ignis - he hadn't even started this fight - but all those thoughts fled when he saw his red coat appear again, climbing back to shore. Any guilt that had started accumulating on his shoulders lifted. Ignis was alive. Possibly not well, but he was moving and Corvus knew he just needed to go back home. Ignis wasn't thinking right and staying here would only risk one of them going off the side of the cliff.. for a second time. He couldn't help but still feel worried as he cast him one last glance before starting the trek back home, hoping to somehow unburden himself of these worries by the time he got back.

-exit Corvus-