Atonement

He didn’t know what she would do when he leaned down to kiss away her flowing tears. There was something not quite right about their meeting, so much time had passed, so many emotions had been felt. It didn’t feel the same as it once was. Indigo was certain that this was Aslatiel though. The girl who he was born alongside and who from that moment had always kept hold of his heart. Until he’d been a fool and destroyed that perfect bond.

As his lips met her cheek Aslatiel moved, closing the distance between them as she pressed her chest against his and buried herself into his thick violet fur. Her arms were around his neck as she apologized again. He didn’t want them, but he could feel it too. The change in the relationship they had once cherished. They were both older, both had seen more of the cruel side of the world than they wanted to. "I am too.” He muttered softly into her sandy fur.

Now that she was so close and he was breathing her in there was no stopping his deep affections. He missed her. As much as he tried to forget everything he lost, her memory haunted him every day. Having her warm body pressed against his chest Indigo couldn’t help the way his arms wrapped around her thin torso. He felt her soft fur against his toes and the sweet scent of her filled his nose. He sighed heavily, furrowing his brow and gritting his teeth as he remembered everything. Tears very nearly spilled over from blue eyes at the relief he felt while holding her again. It was a privilege he didn’t think he would ever receive again, yet here she was.

It was hard to let her pull away, but by now he was well aware she didn’t belong to him, she was the master of her own self. Quietly he sat back, vibrant blue eyes taking in her beautiful feminine features, and her sparkling galaxy gaze. He would have been content lingering in silence, it was easier than thinking about what they had lost, but she spoke again. Indigo looked away for a moment as he collected himself, thrown off by her asking after a band of wolves that she had claimed to hate so passionately.

"Struggling to survive.” He answered her honestly. Duchess would likely leave them all together soon, like Cosette had eventually disappeared. He barely had a hold on them anymore. He was no protector, he was a terrible leader, and his dreams were dying, just like his children. "I don’t know if we’ll make it past the season together.”

"Speech"