you're the satellite

Romulus didn't care for the words Lillith used when she spoke of herself. He didn't care for the way she internalized what her family had clearly been feeding her since the day she fell ill with whatever sickness had crippled her like this. He didn't buy into the belief that this was how she was now. A wolf was only what they wanted themselves to be, how they saw themselves. If she was told that she was sick and weak and she believed she was sick and weak, then that's what she would be. But he hadn't seen that out in the gardens. Sure, he saw someone run out of breath and stamina, but had she not made the march all the way from the castle to the hilly garden? Had she not trekked around searching for herbs with him and stood against the saber cat? No, she was wrong about herself. Her father was wrong about her. Lillith could do whatever she set her heart to.

"Yeah, I did," he agreed, then continued before she could get another word in edgewise, "I saw you hike across two terrains because you wanted to help your pack. I saw you march around the gardens like a woman on a mission. I saw you growl and snarl and bite that saber cat without hesitation." Roman scrunched his nose up in confusion. "Why, what did you see?" He pretended to think about it for a moment, then feigned an "a-ha" moment, complete with wide silver eyes and a big grin of comprehension. "Oh, you mean the getting tired thing! You know every wolf gets tired, right? Your tired meter just fills up faster is all. That can't be too hard to fix, right? We just need to get you out into the world more, get your body to grow stronger each time you go out!"

Roman gave Lil a gentle smile while his paw on her began to run a slow trail up and down her side from shoulder to waist, trying to comfort her. Did he make it seem so much easier and simpler than it really was? Yes. Did he know it would require more hard work and effort than he let on? Also yes. But right now, what Lillith needed more than anything else was a booster shot of confidence straight into her self-esteem. If she stopped believing she was frail and weak, then she'd have won half the battle. The rest she could work on over time and he'd be there to help her if she wanted. That's what friends were for, after all! But all the effort in the world would be wasted if every time she looked in the mirror she saw someone only meant to stay in their room all day. Lillith was better than that. He would make her see that she was better than that if he had to.

"Romulus Armada"