End of the line

Ulric's frown deepened when Emile questioned him on if he thought he wanted to be stuck and Ulric very nearly wanted to throw his paws in the air and walk away. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't know how to get through to his son that he understood that this was hard on him, but that wasn't an excuse. It was hard on everyone. If this was the first time he had attempted to have this conversation it would be one thing, but time and time again he had been avoided and instead of letting him help Emile had just pushed him away and his patience had finally run thin.

But when he asked if Emile wanted to leave and he saw that worry and fear in his eyes it pulled at his heart. His ears flicked back and his gaze softened. He was still frustrated, but he didn't want to make his son fearful for any reason. He just wanted him to be happy and if leaving was the answer then he would have granted him that, but apparently that wasn't the case. "I don't want you to leave either, Emile," he replied softly. "I don't want anyone to leave. I've never wanted anyone to leave. It just... hasn't felt like you wanted to be here so if you wanted to go I would have let you so you could be happy."

He hesitated for a moment, desperately trying to figure out what to do and not coming up with a good answer. He sighed and gently reached out a paw to lightly ruffle the fur on top of his son's head. "Please just... Let me help. Let any of us help. Even if its not me, even if you hate me and don't want to be around me or whatever it might be... I just want you to be happy, Emile." He lowered his paw and tried to offer him a small smile.

Ulric Adravendi