Christmas Came Early

In the days following after the jaguar attack in the lands just south of the Hallows, Romulus had been a little more careful about the daily excursions he took with Lillith while his injuries healed. While not severe, they had been deep enough to require stitches from the practiced paws of Gwynevere to make sure they healed properly. The jaguar's claws had been far more deadly than he'd given them credit for, and it just served as yet another reminder of how easily he could have wound up watching the little silver Adravendi girl die right before his eyes. It was a sobering realization that their lives were fragile—Lil's especially—and everything he'd built here had so nearly been snatched away from him.

When they'd gotten him back to the castle and deposited the jaguar carcass, he'd reported the danger to Ulric, feeling more than a little useless when the Adravendi patriarch began to gather up the Knights to go make sure there were no other cats lingering around their territory. He knew he had to let his wounds heal, but what good was he to anyone if he couldn't go out and finish the job? Armadas always handled their own affairs, but this felt too much like submitting and giving up. It felt weak, and Roman hated the emotion. He'd been dour since the entire experience, feeling like he'd let Lillith down. It was why he hadn't snuck into her room for cuddles and kisses since the attack, instead hiding his self-deprecation behind the guise of wanting to let her rest. Truthfully, he just couldn't look at her without feeling guilty.

It was still up in the air whether the three perfect cuts running down the left side of his face would become scars or not, but they had at least closed enough that Roman didn't have to keep them bandaged and looking like a mummy anymore. Still caught up in his emotions around nearly losing Lillith and failing to protect her, the steel and blue Armada wolf meandered slowly down the castle corridors, listening to songbirds sing in the gardens outside in the early morning. He found his way back to Lillith's room, trying to figure out how to apologize to her for not being able to protect her the way he should have while he lifted his paw to rap gently against the wooden frame. After a beat, he lifted the latch and peeked in through the open door. "Lil? Are you awake?" he asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to disturb her if she was still asleep.

"Speech"