Anthem had never been particularly good at reading social cues, or gathering subtle hints about the emotions that wolves were feeling. His lack of knowledge left him feeling confused and uncomfortable. Change was something the man was very rarely content with, and he felt himself growing ever more upset as wolves -- both familiar and unfamiliar to him -- began to trickle into the gathering. He noted the tears that had begun to roll down Song's face as she spoke to Symphony, the meaning of her words lost on the Destruction sibling. Someone was leaving. Things were changing. People seemed happy, while others seemed sad. Somehow, Song seemed both.
"Huh?" he would ask, turning to look at Symphony again. A soft whine escaped his lips as he nudged her, somewhat frantically, as though searching for reassurance. How quickly his attention would jump to another, overwhelmed by all of the commotion and noise. Symphony spoke to him then, saying she was leaving but would visit. Her presence would be as sure as the rising sun, something Anthem knew would happen until the end of time. But he couldn't help but feel anxious and sad, and even a bit angry. Symphony was his best friend -- his caretaker. Even he, with his diminished capacity for understanding, knew that it was she that tended to him the most.
"I don't want you go," he explained simply and surely, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. He hadn't liked when Song had left home, and he didn't like the thought of his other sister leaving. His best friend in the entire world. He was close to Novella, but he didn't know if they would be as close as he and Symphony had.
His sister would then leave, not even giving him a moment to say goodbye -- and he felt his heart sink, an awful pain filling up his chest and refusing to let go. The tears would spill, and he would push closer to Song, oblivious to the fact that Cherokee stood on her other side, ignorant to most everything except that his sister had left him.
|
