The Wounded Heart Within

Ulric knew there probably wouldn’t be an answer that could explain everything neatly and when Aranea did finally answer he supposed it was as good an answer as any. She was still such a mystery to him in how she acted and how she responded to things. Sometimes it felt like he was meeting a different wolf every other time he encountered her and it was hard to guess how she would react - whether she would shut him out or draw him in. Still, he couldn’t deny how soothing her touch was and just having her in his arms again eased a world of problems. He returned her gentle affections and grooming, leaving licks around her ears and neck while he savored her presence.

His ears perked forward when she began to speak, listening as she spoke of the man who had taken one of their children and disappeared. She made it very clear that she didn't want to meet his gaze while she was speaking when she buried her face into his fur so he wouldn't force her, instead just holding her a little tighter. He wanted to say he was shocked by her statement and say he couldn't understand why she would ever get to a point where her daughter would have to suffer because of her own sorrow and how she would want to give up her own life to escape it... but he did. If he hadn't had wolves around him that were looking out for him and making sure he didn't spiral even further into his depression when Azariah disappeared with Everlyse disappeared he could see how he would have ended up in the same position. For at least a brief period he had convinced himself that Ezra, Emile, Jane, and Fihona would be fine here in The Hallows without him while he searched for their mother and sister. He was certain that they would be cared for among the pack and he was still certain that the pack as a whole - or at the very, very least Resin and Tamsyn - would have made sure they were fed and safe.

But that's not really what they needed and he didn't realize that until he saw Emile's saddened expression at the last pack feast. They needed him there, they needed his attention - some more or less than others. He didn't know what sort of situation Aranea had been in with her daughter at the time, but if she hadn't had the kind of accountability and support that he did he could easily see how she could end up in that position. He was sad for her and the situation she had been put in, but he didn't blame her and he wished she wouldn't blame herself as much either. He began tenderly grooming around her ears again when she finished, just holding her quietly for a few moments while he processed things and tried to think of something he could that might alleviate even a little bit of this pressure she felt. "I understand," he finally replied in a quiet rumble, letting one of his paws gently rub up and down her back while he spoke. There was more he wanted to say, but none of it felt quite right. It all felt like apologies for things he didn't do or wishes for things he couldn't fix. All he could do was give her what she wanted - just to be with him. So that's what he did, continuing to hold her against his broad chest and block the rest of the world away from her.

Walk | "Talk" | think