The Past Tastes Bittersweet

He was at her side in a few strides, for the moment forgetting that he hadn't seen her in months. He wasn't met with any resistance, the little badger having moved out of his way, allowing Taurig to move up closer to Maija. He inclined his head towards her, cursing himself for not being able to see and see if she was physically okay. He wanted to reach down and touch her, to make sure that she was still breathing, but he had a feeling that if he did the badger was probably going to try and rip his face off. Not that he particularly needed his face, but he had enough scars on it to last him the rest of his life; he didn't need anymore. So instead he just cocked his head to the side, extending his right to listen to her breathing, relief washing over him when he heard her breath rise and fall through her nose. Good, at least she was still breathing.


But his relief was short lived. Her breathing quickened in its pace only to be accompanied by the sound of scrabbling paws. Taurig pulled his skull away from Maija, taking a step back to give her some room, ears flattening against his skull as her voice pierced the darkness around him, slicing right through him, just as Sibelle's had when he'd come across her. You're not here...YOU'RE NOT HERE! You're dead...you left and never came back! You're only my imagination, it's not true...IT CAN'T BE TRUE! It had been so long since he had heard that Romanian tongue of hers. It sounded just as he remembered it, only instead of whispering words of love, she screamed at him, unable to believe that he had really returned. Crown would sag between his shoulders, milky eyes staring at nothing as his gaze fell to the ground. Feels like I should be dead right about now...but perhaps much to your misfortune, I'm not... His voice was barely above a whisper, a strangled whisper at that. He could hear the emotion in Maija's voice and it tore at him to hear her like this, knowing that it was all his fault and he was just making it worse...Why had he even bothered coming back...


"Burn Baby Burn"