They had arrived in their new home. Iolaire, having been making trips back and forth between the two lands for months, had everything in order for herself. So, when they arrived the injured woman dropped quietly from the back of the large wagon and went directly into the stone abode that she had crafted. The skin that she hung over the doorway slid shut behind her. Having been built into the side of a hill, the size of the dwelling was a surprise. It looked much smaller from outside. Upon entering, however, there were four chambers. One large main chamber for treating patients. Another specifically for herbs and drying, and two sleeping chambers. Iolaire deposited herself in one of these and refused to come out for anything. She had been treated like a child. If they wanted to ignore the fact that she was an adult, then they could deal with the repercussions.

Roan had disappointed her the most. She expected such tactics from Sirius. She even expected her mother to treat her like a child because she was, after all, her child. But Roan... he had no reason to treat her this way. He was her patient. She cared for him. It was a slight that she wouldn't soon forget.

Roan still felt terrible about the way he went about getting Iolaire off her feet. They had treated her a bit like a child but she had also been acting ike one. All of the wolves in her life wanted to see her in tip top shape and walking the rest of the way on her paw was not helping her. She was wounded and he wouldn't see her limping all the way. Maybe it was selfish on his part but seeing her in pain was unbearable. Now seeing her sulk was just as bad.

Resin mentioned that she would forgive him one day, but he had no idea how that might come about. He wasn't very creative and if he could manage it with his brute strength he wasn't sure what he would do. The good news about all of the excitement was that he wasn't focusing completely on how much he missed Dapple's presence. Maybe it was wrong of him to call in Sirius and Resin, but now that he could worry about Io instead of Dapple it seemed his wounds were easier to deal with.

He sighed heavily as he eased himself out of the cart and settled beside the cottage. Roan didn't feel quite right entering Io's home without permission. She stalked by him with out any acknowledgment and he knew very well how much he screwed up but dammit he cared about her. Moreso even than he cared about his own wounded self. He didn't move to go after her, he was quickly realizing how bad the trip was on his own bad limb.

Iolaire was content to grump for the rest of the day. Her things had been unpacked. Ashen had been deposited on their territory. The carts were damn near empty. None of the things within belonged to her. So she had no obligations to help. Plus she was 'injured' so surely she would be forgiven retiring to her home to rest.

The small woman huffed. She was hungry. There was no way that she was going out to hunt, however. Rising from the furs where she'd just thrown herself, Iolaire stalking into the main chamber and pulled down some of the meat that had been drying. She had to jump up to grab it since Sirius had put it on a higher shelf. The action brought a small stone bowl crashing down upon her head with an audible thunk. The healer saw stars for a moment and instantly found her seat, one paw raising to press against her face. "Fuck," she snarled. Could today get any worse?

He sighed heavily as he tried to get himself comfortable, he was a right mess after the cart right. If he pulled back his fur the right way he could even see the bruise at the surface. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he was much too uncomfortable for that sweet rest. He huffed softly to himself and lowered his head to his paws. He looked out over the gently tiered garden and tried not to think of the future or the pest.

Roan was close enough to the hide door that he heard the thud of stone on skull followed by the delayed curse. ”Io?” He asked cautiously as he struggled through the doorway. ”Are you alright?” Though this was exactly what had gotten him into trouble with her to begin with Roan couldn’t help himself. Feeling her tug at his heart the way she did caused mixed feelings, but he was determined to get back in her good graces.

She had been holding her head when he came through the door. The concern in his voice was too much. Tears began to form in the woman's eyes and she bit her lower lip. Everything was going wrong today. The buildup of emotion was too much. Now her head hurt, Rowan was here. He was seeing her cry. No one saw her cry. Never. She didn't cry.

Iolaire's throat was pinched as she held in the tears. She sniffled loudly before turning and moving towards her room. Her head hurt. A lot. She would have a nasty bump forming shortly. The food that she'd dropped lay forgotten on the floor, all hunger leaving with her anger and discontentment. It was rare for her to have a bad day, but dammit, this was a very bad day indeed.

Inky ears fell to his skull as his emerald eyes adjusted to the dimness of the cottage. Roan tried not to grit his teeth as he saw the tears in her eyes and the way she bit at her lip. He lifted a paw as if to stop her as she sniffled and turned back to her inner sanctum. He sunk in a little on himself as his gaze strayed to the food and bowl on the floor. He looked back up at the self, easy for him to access but the dried meat was a bit high. Likely she hit the bowl while trying to get her meal down and it fell on her. ”Io?” He asked softly as she reached her room.

She was hurting. He wasn’t dense enough to not see the wasn’t the only reason. The silver marked titan returned the bowl to its perch awkwardly and placed the dried meat more conveniently before he hobbled closer. ”Can I..” could he do anything for her? ”...do anything?” He asked softly, eager to comply even if it was only to leave her be.

Curled up on her thick pile of furs, Iolaire cried into them. Tears of utter frustration. She had just wanted a fucking snack. Tears of anger. All of the ones that she trusted had betrayed her. Tears of exhaustion. Sleeping two to three hours per day wasn't something that you could get used to. Iolaire was definitely at a low.

The soft, hesitant tones of Roan met her ears and Iolaire almost snarled at him. She wanted to say, 'Yes, you can get out,' but the physician in her wouldn't allow it. Instead, she grit her teeth and buried her face deeper into the furs. She'd left the best of them in the wagon since Roan had needed a bit of padding. If someone tried to claim her oxen pelt, she was going to be furious. A tiny demon. There was no way that she was going back out there to find it now, however.

Roan felt like a right fool as he listened to Iolaire cry. He sighed softly, so lost and unsure what to do with himself. What could he do? Sorry certainly wouldn’t cut it, not after everything he’d done and everyone that got involved. Dapple wasn’t much like Iolaire, she looked to him to lead most of the time and was easily swayed when he argued for her safety. Io was just as independent as he was, and though he was embarrassed to have ridden in the cart he did it because his caregiver was sure it was what was best for him. He wished she could see he’d only done what he thought was best for her, even if his methods were cruel.

Finally he decided to slowly pad forward, quietly too as she would be able to dismiss him if he was pushing too hard at her boundaries. If she didn’t shoo him away before he could settle down Roan would awkwardly lay his titanic form at the foot of the furs, not quite on them but close enough that Iolaire could lean back against him if she wanted the comfort. He almost felt like he was pushing her too hard, after he’d acted like such a child he wouldn’t want to be around him either. But he felt a connection to Iolaire that he’d never shared with anyone else. Roan was suddenly very afraid of losing that.

”I’m sorry. For earlier. I should have tried to convince you on my own instead of ganging up like that…” But Resin had been eager to leave, he had no power of persuasion over the tiny healer, Sirius was an easy way out. Well, after all was said and done not so easy. Io had ridden in the cart, but it had been costly.

'No, don't come over here,' the crying woman thought. If he came too close, she might lose herself further. And that's exactly what he did. She could feel the warmth of his large body as he lay close to her. A soft apology then met her ears. She tucked those ears tightly against her skull. She didn't want to hear his apology. She didn't want to hear anything from him.

Iolaire had been on overload for quite a while now. With not sleeping, caring for everyone except herself, and being reminded of the loss of her siblings, she was full to the brim with volatile emotion. It had taken that one little push, the banding against her, to push her over the edge. And now here he was, offering sympathy. Ugh.

Iolaire turned. Her first thought was to snap at him and make him leave, but she didn't really want that. She didn't want to be alone. Instead, the small wolf curled her body against the black and silver male. She pressed her forehead against his dark chest and continued to cry, a new wave of emotion breaking over her.

Roan settled into silence after his apology however Iolaire did as well. Though he was close he kept his eyes low. She hadn’t accepted his apology. His inky black ears remained at his skull as she shifted, and he half expected her to cuff his ears. He deserved it after all. However the little healer surprised him completely. The silver furred mammoth had been thinking too heavily in himself. This was about Iolaire and the massive amount of strain that was held on her shoulders. Roan had no idea how heavily his actions affected her, and wondered how much the events were just the last straw.

The dark wolf froze as Io settled in against him, her dainty frame fit snugly against him as she pressed her features into his chest. He was caught off guard but wouldn't hesitate for long. Roan took her closeness as his forgiveness and wrapped his head around her shoulders. He squeezed his eyes closed and held her tightly, his broken heart bleeding for her as she poured her emotions out to him. Roan hummed softly and rocked as much as his injury would allow. He couldn’t do much, but he’d be there for her as best as he could.

"I'm sorry," the woman said softly after a long period of crying, then silence. She'd soaked his fur, no doubt. He'd been just so damn supportive, she couldn't help herself. Roans gentle embrace and soft nothings had made her cry all the more. How long they even lay there, she didn't know. Time had lost track of them.

Having regained control of her faculties, Iolaire pulled back. One paw raised to wipe the excess tears from her face. She sniffed once and that cool visage slid back into place. "Thank you for the apology." Rising, the tiny wolf went about looking for things to keep herself busy. "The middle chamber is for you, though you can sleep here for now if you'd like since you've already laid down." Iolaire left the chamber, her voice calling back to him. "There's a bowl of willow bark on the bottom right of the shelf out here. Use it as you need."

She was embarrassed at her lack of control. Roan was a veritable stranger. And he was her patient to boot. She shouldn't have shown such weakness in front of him. Pushing the skin away from the doorway of the courage, viridian eyes cast to the sky. "It's going to rain." She said to no one in particular .

He would allow her to cry on his shoulder for as long as she needed, he wasn’t going anywhere fast. Holding her proved cathartic to him, despite her sorrowful and frustrated tears. Roan didn’t like seeing her distraught at all, but he felt like he was doing the right thing if she could come to him for support as she did. At some point she offered her own little ‘sorry’ but he shook his head. She had nothing to apologize for.

Eventually she pulled away and he settled back onto the furs as she wiped the last of the tears from her face. Iolaire didn’t take long to cover her emotions again. All at once she was fine, and her soft words fell on perked ears as she busied herself after thanking him for his own apology. Vivid emerald eyes watched her as her tiny frame walked towards the entrance. He was pretty sore, and certainly appreciated remaining where he’d struggled to settle. She also let him know where to get his own pain medication.

Roan wished she hadn’t left his side, her warmth was welcome with the unusual cold of the summer. He lowered his head to his paws, eyes lidded but still lingering on her form. She hurt, and now that he’d seen the other side of the mask he was much more insightful. Roan couldn’t take advantage of that. ”Maybe it will rid the sky of the ash for a while.” He spoke softly, resisting the urge to join her in the doorway. ”I hope there’s a bit of lightning.” Roan’s comment was wistful as he glimpsed the clouds beyond the threshold.

As the tiny figure stood in the doorway, staring at the far off storm clouds brewing, she listened to Roan speak. She had a different view on storms. Well she liked them for different reasons at least. Already, she'd shared so much with the man, despite having spoken little. What was a bit more?

Still leaning against the stone doorway, the skin tucked between her body and the cold rocks, Iolaire spoke. Her voice was soft as though she didn't care if he heard or not. Perhaps she wasn't even speaking to him, but to the storm itself. "I used to be afraid of storms when I was younger. It was a good excuse to curl up with the man that I loved and let him comfort me." A gust of wind blew into the cottage through the open doorway, ruffling the small woman's thick fur. "During each storm we would curl up in the den that we'd built and he would hold me close. He'd tell me over and over that he would always keep me safe." It sounded like a nice story, eh?

"And then he discovered that I was barren. Being unable to bear his pups, that made me less than worthless." She refused to look at the resting man, but continued to speak. "After he gave me to his pack to use and abuse, I had to wait for an opportunity to escape." Lifting her nose, she pointed to the night sky and the far off storm. "I escaped during a storm. The rain washed away my tracks and scent. The thunder muffled my cries." Her snow dipped tail flicked once. "I saw storms differently after that."

As if realizing all that she'd just said, Iolaire's brow furrowed and she tucked her chin momentarily. "Get some rest, Roan." Not wanting to see pity on his face if there wasn't any, Iolaire slid from the dwelling like a ghost, just as the first peals of thunder rumbled the land.

Her voice was soft and inky ears perked up as he tried to catch her gentle words. Roan was brought back into Iolaire’s past, or he assumed was her past. She spoke of the man she loved, and since the wounded warrior had yet to see a wolf of such stature with her. Roan felt a flutter of jealousy at the words however much he pushed it away. She’d curled up beside him earlier despite them being strangers, surely that meant something. He didn't have anyone anymore, knowing that Io was willing to get close to him, or even willing to talk to him about her life. Roan felt privileged.

The first part of her story was nice, and he wondered for a moment where the mystery man was, and how he could not be with the dainty healer right now. Io continued though, and dashed the lovely scene with the harsh reality of her life. She would never have children, and that fact was enough for her to be cast down into the dirt. Iolaire touched on the atrocious way that she was treated before her escape. Roan knew how much he detested pity being shoved on him so he would do the same for his caretaker. He wouldn’t give her pity, but he would appreciate her more dearly. Her strength was incredible and Roan would respect her more for how much she lived through.

Roan wouldn’t get much of a chance to respond as she seemed to comprehend everything she told him. With a final command of getting some rest her delicate form disappeared from the threshold and darkness took back over. The thunder started from farther away and soothed the silver marked titan as his thoughts stormed similarly to the sky outside. However much his brain was tormented he felt his heart swell as he came to the decision that he wouldn’t leave Iolaire. She deserved to return to the first part of her story. Roan realized he wanted to be the one she ran to when she needed comfort and aid. He wanted to be there for her because she deserved to be loved, not thrown away like she’d been.

He’d have to heal fast, so the fluffy brute did as he was told and closed his eyes to rest off the pain from the day.