Where is the line

Sleep was not being kind to him. It had had been fitful at best, to the point that he had given up on it all together. He hopped down from the bed that stood in the center of his room, padding over to one of the windows that looked out over the forests of Auster, the only sound breaking the silence being the clicking of his claws against the floor. He couldn't get his mind to stop racing, thoughts tumbling one over another and not even letting him finish one thought before another took over. All sense of time had left him and he couldn't tell just how late it had gotten, but he did at least know all of his children were asleep.

They had all moved into rooms of their own along the same hallway that his opened into. He couldn't find an excuse for them not to after they found out that all of Tamsyn and Resin's children got to do something similar. He couldn't help but think that part of his sleepless nights was caused by their absence. They were growing older each day so wanting a space to call their own only made sense, but he certainly missed their presence when he was trying to sleep.

Turning away from the window, he quietly walked out into the hallway, slowly walking past each room and looking in at the sleeping forms of his pups. He stopped just short of the empty room at the end of the hall that he had left open for Everlyse, just in case she ever returned. He kept the door closed to the room, deciding after a few days of seeing it bare that it hurt too much to see it open. After confirming that they were all still in their rooms, Ulric turned and walked down the hall once again, passing the doorway to his room and continuing on to one of the open communal areas where the hallways and staircase met up. There was an open passage with a railed off balcony that overlooked the courtyard below, letting in a cold breeze. He made his way over to the railing and looked down from where he stood on the second floor of the castle for a while, hoping that perhaps a change of scenery would help calm his nerves.

It didn't accomplish that goal, but it did at least help him slow his thoughts enough to make some sense of them. Where they landed surprised and tugged at him in a way he didn't expect. It had been several days since his last conversation with Aranea at the training field and since then he had occasionally thought of the blue eyed healer, quickly pushing away the thoughts or just briefly acknowledging the memory as a fond bit of time with a friend. He kept trying to reinforce that word in his mind. Friend. He had a fiancé that was missing - possibly hurt for all he knew. She was a mother with a family that he had never met in different, far flung pack.

If that was the case, then why couldn't he keep his paws from carrying him to the northern side of the castle? It was the dead of night, there was no reason for him to be visiting her now. At one point about half way to her room he stopped himself with an uncertain flick of his ears. He knew she had said her door was always open, but even someone as kind as she was should have limits. Was he willing to test their young friendship with such an odd visit? He supposed so since his paws began moving once more, soon finding himself in front of the doorway to her room. The door was slightly ajar, but not enough for him to see her without opening it further. "Aranea?" he asked softly, his ears perked as he listened for any kind of response as he tried to determine if she was asleep or not.

Walk | "Talk" | think