The Angels Sang A Whiskey Lullaby

Ulric had come to the den when Aranea howled, but he couldn't make himself go in. Partially because he didn't want to be in the way, and partially because he couldn't quite bring himself to face Aranea just yet. He had put himself through the pain of being with her long enough each day to make sure she ate, his mind solely focused on the pups that he was promised were still alive. He did all of this for their sake. He paced back and forth in front of the den after Gwynevere had gone inside until she emerged with one of the pups that had already been dead. His teeth grit together as he went to where she had laid the pup in the grass, his heart breaking at the sight of it. Swallowing back his emotions, he went to a near by tree and began digging a grave for the little pup that had been killed far before it could finish developing, Aranea stealing away its chance at a life.

As he was walking back to the hole he had dug with the tiny corpse in tow he heard Aranea scream, the sound making the fur on the back of his neck stand up uneasily. He gently placed the pup in its grave and stood over it while he waited for something else to happen. He had dread deep in his gut, something telling him that things could only get worse from here. Minutes ticked by as he stood over the corpse of one of his children, unable to look away from the mangled form like someone watching a train wreck. Eventually he heard the sound of paws coming toward him and when he looked up he saw Gwynevere approaching him with two more pups. These ones were far more recognizable as pups, but both were heart wrenchingly silent and still. He looked at them when she placed them at his feet. A boy and a girl, both of them noticeably marked with browns and grays, the dapples that covered his own coat showing up on both of these children. His. They had been his. His jaw tensed and his eyes squeezed shut against the heartache that washed over him like a tidal wave when she informed him that these had been the two that could have lived.

It had been for nothing then. All of this pain and heartache and exceptions made. Everything that he had put on the line for her, everything that he had put on hold to make sure these pups arrived without further incident. It had been for nothing. He went through all of that and had nothing to show for it. He managed to blink his eyes open after a moment, looking down at the pups that should have been here with him, and then up at Gwyn. He could see the same disappointment and grief on her face and he felt deeply guilty that he had subjected her to any of this. She had done her duty exceedingly well and he silently made a promise to himself that as soon as he was done with all of this he would give her the rank she deserved for the skill she had shown. He made himself pick up the two pups and place them into the grave next to the first and was quiet for another moment before he pressed his nose to Gwyn's cheek. A quiet thank you for all the work she had done. "We're done here. Go back to the castle, get some rest. I'm sorry." He watched her go and then turned his silver eyes toward the den where Aranea still resided.

He waited until Gwyn was well past the castle gates before he stalked forward, his teeth gritting so tightly that his jaw ached. A sigh passed through his nose and then he forced himself to go inside, slipping into the small den. The whole den reeked of death and when he turned his gaze to Aranea he knew that it would only be a matter of time before she joined those pups in death as well. Words escaped him and for a time all he could do was sit there on the opposite side of the den, fixing her with a hard stare.

Ulric Adravendi