I can't roll with these punches

Briar was still a little uneasy while she watched her father sit back onto his haunches and then eventually slide down onto his stomach in front of her. She eventually sat back onto her haunches as well, though less settled than he seemed to be. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm herself. He seemed calm, she could be too. At least that's how it felt in her mind. She still didn't reach out to him yet though. Reaching out to him had broken him last time so she restrained her urge, her shoulders tense as he began to speak and explain.

She listened closely to every word, letting him weave the story for her as he spoke of the Ashen Empire, Deathbelle, her mother, and night terrors. When he talked about the little scars that had been on her mother's cheek her paw automatically lifted to touch the still bloodied wounds on her neck with sudden understanding before he even confirmed that he had given them to her. Her brows pulled together with worry when he told her how this one particular dream about himself and Deathbelle suddenly had her mother in it instead, her ears flicking back against her skull.

But he explained that it wasn't the same as what was happening with Resin and she was able to breath a slightly easier sigh. She still wasn't completely at ease, but that at least took a slight edge off of her fear. He already had her full, undivided, enraptured attention before he told her to listen closely to what he was saying, but she fixed her gaze on his all the same and took in every word. He couldn't find his calm. He was dangerous when he wasn't calm. She wasn't entirely certain what she needed to be prepared for if he couldn't find his center, but she immediately disregarded the possibility, whatever it might mean. Of course he could. He could do anything.

She nodded and was quiet for a moment before she carefully got to her paws, feeling as if she couldn't move too quickly, too suddenly, or she'd disrupt something that would throw off this momentary calm. She dipped her head down to her father's leaning forward just enough to be able to press her nose to his for a second before she backed away again. "I love you, Dad," she said softly, quietly. Just enough above a whisper that it was still easy to hear. Don't disturb the calm. "I'm going to go talk to Asla," she informed him just as quietly. She had checked her father off of the list of wolves she needed to talk to and now Asla was next. She didn't know if she had it in her to go all the way to The Hallows tonight after all, but... She still needed to go somewhere else and find a way to unwind the tension in her shoulders and find some kind of plan. Something she could do to help their father.

"Briar" | "Marigold"