call it holy, call it just

The woman’s heart has become a fistful of thunder, pounding painfully against her ribs as the scarred woman comes to stop near Aslatiel. Víðarr’s voice pulls her attention over to the big shadow and her stomach flip-flops at his gentle words. A weak smile worms its way onto Tove’s lips and her head bows with gratitude to the only man, besides her brother, that she has loved. Turning her gaze back to the Alpha, the small woman speaks and the older woman’s ears slick back in regret as her head lowers in shame while she lifts a paw to gentle shake away the offered apology because she knows that Asla has nothing to do with her current state. Head continues to be bowed as her alpha speaks and the scarred woman’s duel tone eyes flick from Víðarr to Aslatiel and back again.

Silence falls between the trio as Tove weighs the offers even though she already knows what her choice is going to be. Head lifts and she brings her gaze level with the smaller woman, a soft, ghost of smile attempting to pull her lips upward. Since her run-in with the bears that had stolen her brother’s life, talking has been a painful affair for her. That is why she prefers to remain silent for as long as she can and why she had yet to utter a word to the pair. Mouth moves as she works up saliva to try and help her damaged vocal chords for what she is about to say, knowing it will won’t but hoping to buy herself a few more moments before she has to inflict the familiar pain on herself.

As her mouth opens and her rough, gravelly voice fills the air, Tove is unable to hide the wince that the pain from her abused throat gives her, “This isn’t your fault Aslatiel. I have… been let down several times in my life and I believed that had happened again.” Gaze flicks over to Víðarr as she offers him a sad smile, knowing that he understands about some of what she is talking about since he is responsible for most of them. The proverbial straw that had broken the camel’s back was when Kotori had left Valta without a word to her… after she had pleaded her life to him all that time ago. Looking back to Asla, catching the woman’s galactic gaze with her duel-toned eyes, she says, “I want to go with Víðarr. Maybe… just maybe… some wrongs in my life can still be righted.”

And maybe her life is actually worth something.


"Tove Baade"