Chasing shadows

Artorias could see the uncertainty, the confusion, the frustration on Daphne's face with every word he spoke. It looked like she was trying to connect the dots in her head, but wasn't sure where the dots began or what order they fell in. He couldn't begin to imagine what it must feel like for her to be trapped inside her own head, sorting through things you're rediscovering. What is truth, what is fiction, and what falls somewhere in between? Artorias' heart ached to see her like this, but he had no idea how to fix it. She asked about the other man, and when she began to describe him, he knew who she was talking about. "Sort of," Art began to explain. "His name is Grimshaw. He's our adopted brother." He left it at that for now. Short, simple answers. There would be no benefit to overwhelming her with details until she felt ready to receive them.

Amber eyes blinked in shock when Daphne began to draw up some foggy details, like vaguely remembering that they'd lived in the Hot Springs. He smiled softly and nodded, reclining back onto his haunches to relax his posture. "We did. We were born there, up by the falls. That was our home for a season, and then we came here." He could see the mounting frustrations clouding her eyes, wrinkling her temples. It was starting to get to be too much. Artorias stood once more, taking another slow step towards Daphne. "Daphne... come home with me. You don't need to remember everything right now. You can come home, have something to eat, get a good night's sleep. Come see our family again. We've all missed you so, so much." Another step forward, then Artorias extended a paw out to her, pleading with gentle fire-toned eyes for her to take it. He needed to protect his family, and right now that meant bringing Daphne somewhere safe where they could see about getting her better again.

"Artorias Carpathius"