Stages of grief

Ulric didn't hesitate to hold her tighter as she leaned her face into his chest, bringing his other foreleg up around her to hold her close and let her cry out every sorrow into his fur. His heart ached and he swallowed hard past a lump that was lodged in his throat. He was mourning his mentor and friend, he was heartbroken for Tamsyn and the loss she was going through, he was working through the impostor syndrome he felt trying to take Resin's place. It was all things he hadn't really let himself feel as he tried to guide the pack through the attack and the aftermath, but he felt it all now as if feeling Eska's grief helped him unlock his own. Tears gathered and spilled down his cheeks as he looked up at the sky above them, quietly letting Eska cry herself out for as long as she needed.

Looking down at her golden eyes that seemed to catch the light, Ulric was glad when she agreed to his offer of a meal and a place to stay, even if it was for one night. He didn't like the idea of her being out here alone, especially not after hearing news like this. He nodded quietly and resisted the urge to ask her to stay for more than a night as he gently released her, letting her find her paws before he stood as well to lead her back across the plains and into the castle. Last time she had been here they had only gone deep enough to get to the guest rooms in the wing closest to the main entrance, but this time he brought her further into the castle, bringing her to an open balcony that overlooked the courtyard that had a few large furs piled and scattered about, clearly somewhere that they tended to frequent and lounge when time allowed.

"Go ahead and get comfortable, I'll go grab some food for us," he told her with a soft smile before turning and going down one of the other corridors, taking a couple flights of stairs down to the cellar to gather a couple sizable pieces of pronghorn meat from a kill someone had brought in recently along with one of the green-hued bottles of wine. He couldn't say he typically partook in alcohol on a general basis, but it just felt right for tonight. They both had too much loss and pain to deal with and he for one could certainly use a good night's sleep. He quickly returned to where he had left Eska waiting, setting his finds down near her with a smile.

"Help yourself," he said with a nod to the meat before he settled down near her, wrapping his paws around the bottle and bringing the cork to his lips, catching it carefully between his teeth and pulling it free. He took a drink from the bottle, the acidic but smooth drink biting lightly at his throat. He hummed and passed it over to her, mentioning with a soft chuckle, "Not bad. I've had much worse." It would most certainly do the job if nothing else. "And there's plenty more bottles where that came from so have as much as you want." One of the nice things about moving into this castle was that they had gotten to throughly enjoy the spoils of the remnants left behind.

He was quiet for a while, just laying near her as she day continued to sink further into night, eating his fill of the meat and taking drinks of the wine until he felt the warmth and tingle of it all throughout his body. It was a comfortable silence and Ulric didn't mind just enjoying the company of someone else for once. It just felt like Eska was easy to be around and he certainly wasn't going to question it, not now when being alone felt so painful. After a while, after he had finished his food and cleaned off his paws and muzzle and all that was left between them was the bottle of wine that was over half way gone at this point, he spoke, asking, "How long have you been searching?" He spoke quietly, casting a curious silver gaze toward the woman.

Ulric Adravendi