The Deepest Cut

She watched his approach, silhouetted by the flickering glow of the nearby fire pit, a haunting apparition in the dim confines of the den. His eyes, wide and filled with emotion, were engrossed by her presence. She noted a hesitation in his steps, as if he feared his next stride would shatter the illusion, scattering her to spectral fragments in the wind. She remembered those eyes. How they always held such a calm, stoic demeanor, but now they were filled with so much uncertainty and pain. It was unsettling to see him like this. Aurelia. His voice echoed around her, fragile like thin ice over a deep, dark abyss. He seemed to be battling with his own demons, his eyes flickering with confliction. She wished she could reach out, soothe the heartache she saw in his gaze. But she feared it would take more than just a simple touch to heal his battered soul.

His sorrow-filled eyes, a deep emerald ocean of pain and regret, were drawn to her like a moth to a flickering flame. She felt his gaze on her cheek, the lingering warmth from his touch still tangible even in the chilly air of the den. A soft, melancholic sigh escaped her lips, curling into puffs of frost in the frigid winter air. She longed, not for the first time, to ease his burden and soothe his troubled mind. To reassure him that he was not to blame, that his guilt was not warranted. “Thank you, Caedes.” she finally said, her voice coming out softer than she wanted - her own emotion beginning to flood to the surface. “Thank you for saving them.” It had been her last request, that he save her pups, and he had fulfilled it, even when the odds were stacked heavily against them. Even as the instability of their father ravaged the room around them.

"Aurelia Veratti"