Aurelia was dead and, really... good riddance, right? Silly bitch was useless and her mouth flapped enough for ten wolves. Kaino didn't mind one bit that she was dead and gone. What she did care about was that it affected Caedes. Kaino was an easy going kind of lady. She didn't care about most things. Acts of violence didn't phase her. She didn't care if you kicked the neighbors kid or anything like that. She did, however, care about the few wolves that she held near and dear. Caedes being one of them. When Aresenn had told her that her brother had run off looking shellshocked after witnessing the carnage, there was no second thought. She immediately went after him.

Tracking Caedes was simple for a skilled huntress like herself. He hadn't had that much of a head start either. Pink nose to the earth, the lavender fae chased her dark sibling to the base of the dormant volcano. His scent was thick there, mingled with the rich tang of blood. Aurelia's blood, but who cared? Kaino picked her way around the rocky pathway that wound around the volcano, going ever upwards.

In time, Caedes came into view. He appeared to be breathing heavily and, even from where she stood, Kaino could see that he was wide-eyed. Shellshocked to the core. "Caedes," she spoke in soft tones so as not to frighten him further. Once his gaze landed upon her and she felt that he realized that it was his sister and not some specter, Kaino moved forward and pulled her giant brother into a loving embrace. "I'm here," she purred softly. "I'll keep you safe," Just like she always had.

"Speech"

Cold. The blood was still wet, slick and weighing his fur down. The weight of the events that just transpired pressed down on him heavily as his name was called. The void inside him yawned wider at the voice he did not recognize, so he clung to the numbness, his only shield against the wave of emotions threatening to drown him. But footsteps approached still, so the brute halted his heavy steps.

He turned slowly, his gaze blank, struggling to focus on Kaino's form as she approached. His breathing came in rough white wintry puffs before his face, her voice, soft and reassuring, was an extreme contrast to the chaos that consumed his mind.

When she wrapped him in a loving embrace, Caedes stood rigid for a moment, his mind a storm. The conflicting thoughts and memories screaming in his ears, of a childhood long since repressed. Slowly, he allowed himself to lean into her warmth, the familiar scent of his sister offering a small comfort amidst the horror. He felt her purr, a promise of safety that he desperately wanted to believe. He was so much bigger, and yet he felt like a child within her embrace.

‘I'm here,’ Kaino said. ‘I'll keep you safe.’

Caedes took a shuddering breath, the numbness beginning to crack. “I froze.” He murmured, his voice hollow as the words tumbled from his inky maw. “Useless. Unable to act. Unable to even breathe.” The words felt distant, as if someone else were speaking them. The tears he had been holding back began to spill, and he buried his face in her fur, letting the grief and pain flow freely. “It hurts, Kai.” He whispered, his voice breaking. “The scars hurt… so much.” Every part of his carved hide felt like it was on fire, being sliced open again and again.

"speaking"

It took a moment for him to snap back to the present but eventually Caedes leaned into her embrace as he always had. Kaino, protective as ever, held him close, one paw gently and rhythmically stroking the back of his neck and shoulder. His tears soaked into her coat as he explained that days upset. He froze when he believed that he should have acted. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. She understood. How many times had this happened in the past? How many times had she run interference to keep him safe? How many times had she held him just like this, wiping away his tears, after one traumatic event or another?

"Shh...Shh..." Still having her brother wrapped within her arms, Kai placed her cheek on top of his head. Her voice was soft, soothing, full of love and understanding. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there when it happened," she whispered, "But I'm here now. You're safe. I'll always keep you safe, brother."

Kaino had heard a quick explanation from Aresenn, but had run off in pursuit of Caedes before any in depth information could be shared. She knew that Aurelia was dead, she knew that it had been gruesome, and she knew that Caedes was suffering because of it.

Again and again the woman's silver gloved paw stroked soothingly across Caedes' scarred body. He spoke of those scars and the hurt that they still caused. Gods... what she wouldn't give to kill his father... "Your scars tell a story," again, her voice was soft, mellifluous, soothing, "They're a testament to what you've been through and they've helped to mold you, but..." Kai stopped stroking her brother's back, instead taking both of her paws and bringing them to gently grasp tear stained cheeks. She brought his emerald gaze to meet her own of ice and mint. "They do not dictate who you are. You are not your scars. You are my brother, Caedes. My strong, intelligent, handsome, annoying as hell brother." the barest of smirks lifted the corners of Kaino's maw. "And I love you like no other. We'll get through this together, okay?"

"Speech"

Soundless sobs wracked Caedes’ body, each one a shuddering gasp for breath as he clung to Kaino. His paws gripped her fur tightly, his claws digging into her for grounding. Her embrace was the only thing holding him together, her presence the thin thread keeping him from unraveling completely. Each stroke of her paw on his neck and shoulder was a desperate lifeline, a fragile tether to sanity.

He felt her cheek rest on top of his head, her warmth a faint but welcome reprieve against the cold emptiness inside him. His body trembled, his ears pinned back as the guilt gnawed at him, sharper than the pain of his scars. He realized how often he had burdened her with his suffering, how many times she had been forced to be his shield, his rock. The thought twisted his heart with sorrow and regret, his muscles tensing as if bracing against an invisible assault.

Kaino’s voice, though soft and loving, cut through the fog of his despair. She spoke of his scars, her words a gentle reminder that they were only a part of his story, not the whole of his being. Yet, even as her voice wove a melody of comfort, he struggled to believe it, the ache too deep to be easily soothed. His head bowed slightly, ears flicking in agitation as her words tried to pierce through the veil of his pain.

Her paws moved to his cheeks, lifting his tear-streaked face to meet her gaze. His eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, forced themselves to focus, his deep emeralds locking onto her mismatched orbs. The small, affectionate smirk that lifted the corners of her maw was an attempt to uplift his spirits, but it was her unwavering love and determination that truly reached him. He swallowed hard, his throat dry and tight, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he fought to hold himself together.

For a moment, Caedes could only stare into her eyes, his breath hitching in his throat, raw and ragged. The weight of her words, the depth of her love, broke through the last of his defenses, flooding him with a mix of relief and anguish. His shoulders slumped, his body leaning heavily into hers as he nodded slowly, his voice barely a whisper, trembling with the effort to speak. “Okay… Okay. Together… again.”

He buried his face in her fur once more, his tears slowing but not stopping, the storm inside him beginning to calm. The pain still throbbed in every scar, the memories still haunted him, but Kaino’s warmth and reassurance started to fill the void. He clung to her desperately, his paws gripping her tighter, as if letting go would mean losing himself entirely.

"speaking"