Blind leading the blind

When she felt Artorias squeeze her tighter and heard the quiet, muffled sniffles against her chest she hugged him tighter, tucking her head down over his as if she could block him away from everything that was going on and could make it all right again just by holding him. He was always thinking of others, always sacrificing of himself for others, and it felt like she was never able to do the same for him. All she was able to do was be there to pick up the pieces and help put him back together. She gently combed her claws through his scruff, trying to soothe him the best she could while her mind reeled and she started thinking ahead. She'd have to make a quick trip back home to tell her father her plans would have to be moved up so she could move right away to be here to help him. Maybe Bowen would be willing to be his guide until she was able to make the move, she'd have to talk to her tomorrow and make sure...

His voice interrupted her train of thought as he told her how he was going to have to give up being alpha, how he wasn't strong or capable enough anymore to lead it. Her ears flicked back with a frown and she wanted to deny that immediately and tell him that between the two of them they could make it work, but she knew that wasn't logical. She didn't think it was impossible for him to learn how to fight again without his sight and with some adapting she was confident he would be able to go back into many of his same routines, but it was fair at least to think that trying to lead a pack that way would be nearly impossible or at least very difficult. Before she could comment on that though he went on, shocking her as he told her how she needed to find someone else, making her brow furrow. In a weird way it almost made her angry that he would even insinuate that him becoming alpha or his strength or anything of that sort was the only reasons she was with him, that her loyalty to him would wane with this new condition and challenge.

She shifted to lift her head away from his, tracing her paws along the side of his neck so he would be able to feel what she was doing and where she was going to prevent herself from startling him again. Her paws went to his cheeks, gently lifting his head from her chest so that she could see his handsome face, her toes lightly tracing the light gray markings under his glowing, sightless eyes. "I don't care if you're going to alpha any more or not," she told him firmly, her voice still soft in the quiet of the room. "I don't care if I need to be your eyes and your guide for the rest of our days. I don't care how hard it's going to be. I'm not dealing with anything, I'm choosing this. I'm choosing you." Tears started to well up in her own eyes as she spoke, her voice thick with emotion.

"You'll always be the wolf I fell in love with. This hasn't changed anything about that. You're not useless, you're not a burden. We'll work together and find new ways for you to do things. I'm not just going to give up on you because things are hard." Her paw lightly traced along the side of his muzzle as she leaned toward him, carefully replacing her paw with her muzzle, still doing what she could to give him a better idea of where she was before she did something. It was going to take a lot of work from both of them, but she was willing to do it. No, she was insistent on it. Some supernatural power wasn't going to take the boy she loved away from her. She brushed the side of her muzzle against his, leaving affectionate kisses all across his face while her forelegs slipped back around his neck. Briar placed a kiss on his lips, whispering against them, "I love you. I'm not going to stop loving you and I'm not going to give up on you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Briar Fatalis"