.ooc. she's on the border so whoever wants to post When Solo hadn't showed up at the meeting Gaia had retreated into seclusion, trying not to let her heart break. Holding out hope that Solo might still come back to her. So much time had passed since she'd seen him though, she wasn't sure she could keep her heart together any longer. The little cardinal he'd given her was a comfort, but she could hardly believe the pain that was still so overwhelming. When she heard her aunts call from the battlefield she thought her heart would stop. She knew she was never going to see the woman again, she'd said her goodbyes and cried her tears, but just the feeling of the moment made her absolutely sick. She'd leave the den she'd kept herself to for the last few weeks, not knowing where she might be going. Her little bird friend perched upon her shoulder, its confusion apparent in its nervous chirps as Gaia struggled on her own feet. Barely keeping herself up miraculously the she wolf made it to the border and she'd stop. Or fall, same thing. Tears spilled from her pale eyes as she let herself feel the heartache. They were gone. She'd lift her head from her dark paws and let out a broken song full of the loss she felt. ""

There would be no mistaking that howl, the voice was familiar but more than that he recognized the pain woven within the sound of her call. It was his pain, it was the pain that had been a constant for the past few months of his life. The familiarity of the emotion drew him towards it, drew him towards the girl that was no longer his niece. He had left the pups with their brother, promised he’d be back by the night; a promise he meant to keep. The pups would not lose both parents, not if he could help it.

Still a part of him could not let go of his lost family. A son, his niece’s children, they were no longer really Olympus; officially disowned but relation regardless. That was why he appeared before her, his voice a soft huff. "Gaia." There was a rawness to his voice, the death of his wife, his Natalya, showing through his tone.  He would stand across from the border, keeping a large distance between the pack and his position. Ebony was not his friend regardless of its relationship with his pack under his sister… He knew he was not welcome… and yet he was here.

"Speech"

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The once princess would find her features once more on her paws as she let the broken feeling overwhelm her. She'd never expected it to hurt this bad, the combined loss of (pretty much) parent and the one she'd come to love. She'd given everything to Solo, and then he disappeared. Gaia had never felt pain like this, where she'd once held a heart was a hollow space that ached with the loss of what once was. She wouldn't really hear the steps that approached her but the gruff voice that uttered her name cause a shock to run through her. Much more painful than she imagined it would have been the girl would swivel her ears towards him, her expression broken as she lay sprawled on the borders of ebony. "Helios, what are you doing here?" her voice was hoarse from misuse, and very much tormented. Still, there was the slightest sound of relief to know that he was still here and still strong enough to see her scattered pieces. ""

Seeing the way she held herself, the way she didn’t quite react to his approach. It brought it all flooding back in on him, Gaia had learned to survive from his wife, had learned how to act. Parts of her were a reflection of Natalya and yet parts were distinctly her own. Her own gaze didn’t quite rise to meet his for instance, something he had marveled at even with his wife. There was also a weakness there that had never existed in his warrior queen. It was his own weakness he saw reflected in the broken girl, his own failure. Was this the real Olympus legacy?

Her words seemed harsh and yet her faltering voice was took the edge from them. "I heard you…" he began. But why was he here? A thousand answers pounded in his head. Because despite it all she’s family, because in the end she’s one last piece of Nat and I’m afraid of letting go, because I’m a weak man who can’t even keep his own promises. When he spoke though none of those thoughts slipped onto his tongue, as he feared they might. "It seemed maybe you needed someone, someone who knows what you’re going through." But of course he didn’t fully know. The russet man assumed the grief was for her aunt and her aunt only. He had no idea where Solo was and if truth be told he didn’t care.

"Speech"

He was quite still, and he wouldn't draw to near the border but he was still here very much knowing very well how she felt. Though even if he was here she had doubt he cared about the loss of her love. He was here because he'd her call, her last good bye to her aunt and teacher. There was a psi in her heart she was sure would never go away, and even if he claimed To know what she felt could he really with out the whole story.

She would sigh heavily as she slumped to the ground, feeling her tears return anew. It was to much to have lost them both at the same time. Solo meant everything to her, he'd been her body guard, best friend, her mate. Her heart hurt so fully. "I just hurt so much Helios." She would utter quietly, not sure what he thought bein here would help. His presence only intensified the loss.

She fell to the ground and he slowly rested back upon his haunches, a small sad smile pulling across his features. "I know… I know."His tone was soft and he had to fight the urge to reach across the border to nuzzle her, to comfort her. "It’ll be hard for a while… Some days will be worse than others and sometimes it’ll feel like any progress you make will all just wash away." He knew that right now these words meant nothing, hell he didn’t even fully believe his own words right now, despite having lived them all before. He had nothing else he could offer her however, neither of them seemed eager to cross the barrier between them, so all he had was his words.

"I promise you Gaia, one day it’ll hurt less. The pain won’t just go away, it may never fully but I promise, there will come a day when the good outweighs the pain."

"Speech"