She had parted ways with Crucifix and immediately set out to find Ekko. She had seen the fear in the woman's eyes, the unshed tears and she immediately felt guilty. A sigh rolled off her tongue as she picked up an easy lope, nostrils quivering to follow the woman's scent. A call would leave her lips, informing the small she wolf that she would be found, whether or not she wanted to. Long limbs would carry her across the foreign terrain, her lengthy strides closing in on the woman. The stronger her scent became, the more her pace would slow until she came to a halt. Eyes would scan the vicinity, looking for her familiar petite form. "Ekko." Her voice was gentle, yet loud enough to be heard from a short distance. The russet woman would take a few steps, her crown lifted high as she continued the search. Nostrils quivered, inhaling the tiny woman's perfume. She would persist until she finally found Ekko, there was no hiding, there was no escaping. Unless she really wanted to leave, but that was doubtful. Talk like this

She shook and quivered, tears rolling down her rusted red face. She had gone too far and had displeased her master. Curled under a large bush, she stilled when she heard paw falls, sniffing softly to pick up Sibelle's scent. Ekko grew ridged and did not move, even when her name was whispered. No, she didn't deserve to be chased after. She had done wrong, and the russet queen was upset. She had showed her her teeth for goodness sake, telling her to leave her side. Never before had she said something like that, and it was rather upsetting to the dame. After a few heartbeats she let out a sigh, knowing how stubborn the larger lady was. If she didn't come out now, she was going to be dragged out.

Pulling herself from her hiding spot, she emerged with leaves and twigs sticking out of her short fur. Pale eyes remained downcast and not a word was spoken, she didn't even move closer to her. She just stood by her bush, her belly nearly touching the ground as she cowered before the mighty Sibelle. Was she going to strike out and hit her? Uncertain, she just stood there, awaiting her masters next move.

It would take some time, but finally her familiar russet figure would slide out from beneath a bush. Twigs and leaves clung to her pelt in various places and sticking out. If not for her clear distress, her appearance would have been rather comical. Blue eyes remained downcast, her tiny body low to the ground. Ekko would move no closer, remaining just outside her bush. A brow would lift but quickly fell into back into place. Long legs would bring her a step closer, her moves slow so as not to startle the woman. Leaning forward, she would attempt to gently lick the woman's crown, a friendly smile playing on her lips. If the tiny woman allowed such action to land, then she would attempt to brush away the twigs and leaves from her friends pelt. She had acted harshly, and she hurt the tiny woman. "I'm sorry." The apology fell from her lips quietly as she peered at the woman through her lashes. Legs would bend as she lowered herself to Ekko's level, causing the woman to all but lay down. She would fall silent, waiting for Ekko to look up and meet her gaze. She had been so bold, the woman desperately hoped that she had not crushed the little fire that had begun to grow. Talk like this

Her eyes stayed off the female, but she could feel the vibrations of her steps as she walked up to her. She flinched slightly when the woman bent down to lick her crown, but allowed the soft touch. She was slightly confused, she had been expecting a blow where there was softness. Caring and kind. Sibelle then leaned forward and began to pick off the twigs and leaves that clung to her side, and she found herself letting out a hopeless sob. Why was she being so kind to her? Why was she embracing her where she should be beating her back down, since Ekko way overstepped the line. But no, all debris was pulled from her form in such a caring movement, that she felt stuck. With a heavy thud the female pulled herself down, she could see her face out of the corner of her downcast eyes now. Tears brimmed in her blue eyes, threatening to spill over. She felt so lost, she had no idea what was going on.

The tiny female didn't dare to meet the female's gaze, even though she could feel Sibelle's eyes searching her face. Suddenly aware of her scar, she tucked the side of her face close to her shoulder, trying to hide her ugliness from the queen. When Sibelle said that she was sorry though, Ekko's ears flattened against her skull and her pale gaze very quickly scanned over her face. Sorry? For what? Sibelle had only put Ekko back in place, she had grown too bold for a slave. "It's fine." She said simply, her famous two words falling from her lips. Still she did not meet her gaze, but found a very interesting blade of grass to study. Such green-ness...

The tiny woman would flinch at her touch but soon relaxed, however a sob would wrack her tiny form before she fell silent again. A frown would furrow her brows in confusion. So much didn't make sense about this woman. Ekko would fall with a muted thud, and the russet woman would follow suite, resting her belly against the earth. Tears brimmed big blue eyes, though her gaze was downcast, and suddenly, her head would tuck closer to her shoulder, as though she was attempting to hide the scar on the side of her face. Its fine. The words sounded well rehearsed, as though she had said them over and over again. Ekko refused to meet her gaze, studying instead something insignificant. A sift sigh rolled off her tongue before she spoke. "What happened?" To you. She would peer down at the tiny woman, looking slightly expectant. It was time for the truth to come out. She had never pushed the woman to tell her, but things had gotten far to out of hand, she needed to know and Ekko needed to tell her. There was no getting around it any longer. Talk like this

Sibelle fought to catch her gaze, but Ekko would not offer it. She kept her eyes transfixed on that single blade of grass, memorizing every shade and hue of the green object. It was amazing how spectacular it seemed, she tried to shut out the rest of the world. She was oh so good at that, she had built up her walls so high that it was impossible to pass. The russet female seemed to have found a hidden door within her thick walls, and was slowly peeling it apart. Sibelle was working her way into this girls heart, no matter how she tried to push back. Sib didn't even know anything about her, and of course she hadn't just offered up her past on a silver platter. She was careful about it, because as far as she knew, she should be dead. There were many times when Ekko had wished she was dead, and she would be lying if she didn't say that she attempted to harm herself in that way.

When the two ladies hit the earth, a shaky sigh slipped from her lips at Sibelle's simple words, her ears pinning back flat against her skull. She knew that she wasn't talking about what had happened with her, Sibelle, and Crucifix just now. It was about her, her past. Sibelle was asking for her story, and she knew that it was probably about time. She deserved to know why she thought that love was the devil, why she knew that it ruined lives and killed souls. Another shuttering sigh left her, the tears slowly slipping down her rusty face. She took in a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. She hadn't talked about what had happened to her ever, to anyone. But her mistress had asked her, and by her tone she knew that she wasn't just asking. She was telling her that it was time. The time had truly come.

Ekko was having a hard time even speaking, the silence was long as she mustered up the courage to speak. This was going to be the most that she had ever said in a long time, and the most that Sibelle would probably ever hear from her lips. "My pups... my babies." She whispered, her voice broken and so quiet. "He told me that he loved me, even though his father was my master. And then we had pups, our beautiful, perfect pups." Ekko choked out, pausing as sobs shook her small frame. "And then the two of them came upon us... and..." She glanced up at Sibelle for a brief moment, although her gaze rested just above her eyes. "They tore my babies apart and made me watch. My little babies didn't even have a chance to see this world, they were torn from it too young... so young." Ekko was glad that she was laying down, otherwise she might have collapsed. "I was frozen... I didn't step in until they went after my last little girl, my Faire Echo. They turned on me then as I tried to protect her, beating me until I prayed to the gods that they would just kill me. That is where I got this scar, when the man I thought loved me marked my face and told me that now no one could love me, not with this ugly thing. I lost my hearing in that ear, but worst of all I lost part of myself. I'm broken, Mistress Sibelle." Her last words were but a whisper, her lips quivering as more tears fell from her pale eyes. "My babies..."

Tears would wet Ekkos face and for a moment she would say nothing, but when she did finally speak, the russet Queen was mortified. She had found love, only to be betrayed in the worst of ways. Her children were murdered in cold blood before her very eyes and she was forced to watch. Torn audits fell back against her skull, hackles lifting in anger, but not towards Ekko, no, instead towards the men that had done her so many wrongs. Tears continued to pour from blue eyes, her last words a mere whisper. Never before had she heard the woman talk so much and she doubted she would ever hear it again. The Queen was entirely speechless, but suddenly everything mades sense. All the pieces fell into place as to why Ekko had taken such a disliking to Cru and why she was determined to keep them apart. A sigh rolled off her tongue as she took a moment to settle herself, though she doubted that they was anything that could soothe the rage that sat coiled in her chest. If these men ever came searching for her dear Ekko, they would all die. She would rip them limb from limb before ending their pathetic lives. She would nuzzle her tiny friend, encouraging her to meet her gaze. There were no words that could ever change the past or repair the damage that had been done. "I am so sorry for your loss. They will pay if they show their faces here." Words held a quiet promise that retribution would be handed out to these two men without so much as a second thought. No one deserved such torment, and no one deserved to get away with it. Talk like this

Sibelle leaned forward and nuzzled her, and Ekko did something else that was out of character. Standing up she pressed herself into the larger dame, shoving her chest right into her and wrapping her head around the back of her soft, russet neck. Her sobs were broken as she found comfort in her mistress, in this soft embrace. Sibelle's words where spoken against her shoulder, which made her calm down slightly. Her pale blue eyes saw her raised hackles, and she knew that she was safe with Sibelle. She knew that no one could harm her, and that they couldn't touch her anymore. "I-I'm s-s-sorry." She stuttered out, still trying to inhale a better breath. "I d-don't w-w-want t-to s-s-see you hu-hurt." It was the truth, Sibelle was her rock, her strong point. To see her fall in love and then to be hurt, it would surly kill the smaller damsel.

Pushing herself even closer to Sibelle she closed her eyes, breathing in the dames scent and allowing herself to relax. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her chest, she had never before shared her story and it felt... good. Ekko didn't expect to feel that way, nor did she expect Sibelle to be so angry at them. She was glad though, and she knew she was safe.

Much to her surprise, Ekko would rise, pressing herself against her russet chest, her tiny head would curl around her neck, sobs wracking her tiny body. Craning her neck, she would embrace the tiny woman, silently hugging her while years of pent up emotions spilled out. An apology rolled off her tongue clumsily, each word stuttered before she finally proclaimed why she was acting out. A small smile would tug at her lips. It should have been obvious that Ekko had only wanted to protect her. "You have nothing to worry about." Whether it be herself or her friend, the tiny woman had no reason to worry about either of them. She would take care of them both. She would snuggle the woman tightly, hoping to wash away all her pain with a simple embrace. It pained her to know that her friend had suffered so much pain in her short life time, and now love as such an awful thing. Maybe one day the woman would find love again, and she would learn that its not such a bad thing. Would she ever accept love again? Would she ever want children again? So many questions filled her thoughts but she didn't voice any of them, not wanting to overwhelm her friend, it was a conversation for another day, but one that she contemplated bring up. Talk like this