Through The Dark Side

For as long as she wanted to remain buried in his fur, Alastor would continue to hold Relm, giving her the comfort she needed—but maybe that was the mistake. Maybe his caring for her was akin to a drug dealer keeping a junkie hooked on their product; the more he gave her, the more dependent she became on him. Alastor wouldn't see it now, or if he did he didn't acknowledge it. He could never know the depths of Relm's fantasies for them, how far her desires ran, not unless she told him. Thoughts of black and red and pink and white pups racing with their parents around the Rock Garden, of cold winter nights spent snuggled together in a shared bed, of countless hunts and adventures could have easily been planted in his mind by the young woman. Alastor cared about Relm that much. Perhaps he was as sick and insane for her as she was for him and he just didn't realize it yet. It was easy to miss when his focus was split the way it was, between being the Genetor of Elysium and being Alastor.

Relm pulled back and Alastor reclined his head away from hers to gaze down into those argent eyes again. She confided her need for him again, crystalline tears building in those silver jewels. Alastor's lip twitched as his heart ached, wanting to sweep Relm off of her paws and give her everything she wanted from him in that moment. He wanted to comfort her, soothe her, protect her and care for her. He wanted to support her and watch her grow and blossom into the beautiful and magnificent something he saw her as. But he understood her pain. When she said that no one would understand her the way he did, Alastor breathed a slow sigh and tightened his muscled forelegs around her back, flexing giant paws over her back to gently rake his claws over her shoulder blades. "Oh, my sweet Relm... You're far too young to feel this lost." In truth, Relm was about the same age he was when his whole world had spiraled out from beneath him and left him with nothing in a world that didn't want him. Perhaps that was why he hated seeing her in such a state—he didn't want her to feel the ways he had.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Beautiful, capable, strong, inspiring... Even if no one in the world understands us the way we do, you are worthy of their respect and love. That is not my opinion, that is fact. You are here for a reason. You might not know it yet, but you were meant to be here." Unfortunately for him, his efforts seemed to be for naught, as Relm slipped out of his paws and moved past him, heading back to the shore where she shook out her fur and put on her cloak again. Alastor watched her for a moment before rising and following her to the rocky shore. He reached a paw towards her, but she was already moving away into the night. Alastor's mouth hung open, caught between wanting to call her back and not wanting to hurt her further. Ears slicked back to his skull and heart wrenched in his chest. This had been his doing. He was the reason Relm was so twisted up and lost. The compulsive need to protect her and right the wrong ached within his soul—but how did he go about fixing what he was causing?

"Alastor"