I know what I'm without

There was no sense of time passing here. Occasionally he would hunt to fill his time, deer or hares appearing from the mist of this forested expanse whenever he thought of them, but otherwise it was a solitary existence. He never felt lonely though, just simply waiting and existing. That was, until he sensed something shifting in the world around him and when he turned to look behind him his gaze landed on the one wolf he had actually wished to see again. His heart squeezed in his chest as he turned to face him, the black and gold marked form of his son. He was facing away from him so for a moment he could just stand there and watch his son wistfully, all the words he wished he would have said to him caught on his tongue. He was quiet as he stepped closer. He knew Balthier wasn't really here so he knew his son hadn't met the same unfortunate fate as himself. He could see him, but he couldn't smell his scent and when he reached out to gently tap his shoulder with his paw it somehow felt indistinct and not quite there.

"Balthier," he said softly, giving his boy a sad smile. Did he even deserve to call him his boy anymore after what he did? Did he give up any claim on being his father just as Aranea had given up her claim on being their mother after choosing that other man over them? "It's good to see you again... I wish it wasn't like this." The regret that had swallowed him the further he had traveled from Abaven that night had been palpable yet he hadn't been able to make himself turn around and go back, not till it was too late. He waited for his son's reaction, waited for the anger he deserved to get from him.

Walk | "Talk" | think