like (adopted) mother like (adopted) son

Veigar was gentle with his prodding, but drew attention to her lack of a real answer regardless. She gave him a wordless and reassuring smile - ignorant to the fact that he could not distinguish it - and shook her head. Surely he had noticed the grisly wound she had taken across her face or the way she had been staring into the water like she wished it would rise up and wash her away; Aryn did not feel like she was lying to him by suffering in silence, not when her pain was so clear to read on her face.

She accepted the subject change easily, shifting her weight off of her stomach and chest to rest upon her hip so she could position her body more toward him, showing her attention and how seriously she took his assurance (before rejecting it.) "Yes I do." The words were firm and unyielding. "I know I'm not of your blood and I know Recluse and I don't always get along-" Her voice weakened at the mention of Recluse, cowed at the mere thought of the albino alphess who was every bit as a parent to Veigar as she was "-but you're my family, my son. I will always want to protect you."

Aryn sighed, tearing her gaze away and finding with her eyes the white glove of her paw instead. This conversation was leading to something she had wanted to approach for quite some time now but had never found the bravery to bring up. Having hurt Veigar enough already with her own shortcomings, Aryn was not willing to put it aside any longer. "Earlier this season... I met someone. A wolf who offers a different type of life than Recluse ever could. Someone I am proud to call a friend." The anxiety swelled deep in her chest and the longer she spoke, the closer to pain the sensation became. "You saw her in the rapids, where she challenged Kotori for his right to take Abaven's land. Corbie is as much of an alpha as Recluse is, but without relying on cruelty to get her way." Without thinking Aryn's paw lifted to touch upon her scarred chest, feeling the rapid rhythm of her heart and the way the stress seemed to threaten to reopen the long-healed wound. "I want to go with her, to live her life. And I want you to come with me, Veigar."