along the way

Anthea noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor when she questioned him about this other Illious wolf he mentioned and a slight frown tugged at her lips, her brows pulling together a bit as he began to answer her seemingly with reluctance and a heavy dose of anxiety. When his embrace tightened around her she began to rub gently along his back, giving him whatever time he needed to find the words. Eventually he did, telling her about the blood he had found and how Artorias had been the one to convince him to give up the search and instead come here to live in The Hallows. The understanding and realization of what he was saying settled in on her as well and she looked up at him with continued grief and sympathy, a heavy weight on her chest for the mysterious loss of this wolf she hadn't met. Even though she had never met Wren, the knew knowledge she now held about the fate of Illious made any of the wolves from their homeland feel precious and she grieved with him despite not knowing her personally. Secretly she wondered if Wren had only been an alpha or if she had been a friend or perhaps more, but she could tell how much talking about her hurt him so she didn't question him any more.

She didn't particularly want to let go of him yet, but when his hold around her began to loosen she followed his lead, letting go with a sigh and giving her head a shake as she tried to clear it. It was all so much to process all at once and she wasn't sure where to go from here. Mercury seemed eager to change the subject though as he mentioned their lack of fish and the other supplies they had brought for a picnic. She wasn't even sure she felt like eating at this exact moment, but she understood that it wasn't really about that. They needed an escape from the heaviness of it all and she couldn't fault him for that. "Sure," she agreed, managing a small smile. Anthea got to her paws and after a quick scan of the landscape, she spotted a patch of grass between a pair of large trees and she moved over to the small clearing to settle in on the soft grass with a sigh. Once they were both laying down and beginning to unpack the food and supplies they had brought, she glanced up at him to say, "You don't need to right now or ever if you really don't want to, but... if you ever want to talk about her or home or... any of it, I'm here for you." She gave him another soft smile, adding, "You've done the same for me so it's the least I can do."

"Anthea Dásos"