Worry permeated her entire being. Guilt filled her to the brim and overflowed. Her nephews were missing. Beat and Pitch were both gone, and it was all her fault. She was checking over the territory for what seemed like the tenth time in the last day as she hoped to have overlooked a hiding place. As time went on and she made her way back to the den where she started hopelessness took over. They weren’t here.

She fell back onto her rump, defeated. Tears springing to her eyes as she descended into despair. If only she had kept a better eye out for them, or tried to convince them harder that they were not cursed, that nothing was their fault. Twig cried softly to herself as her mind raced through what should or could have been done differently. Her reddened eyes wouldn’t leave the sad den that she had left Beat to occupy. His scent was stale and she had failed.

It was easy to let his worried thoughts cloud his mind these last few days, ever since he'd told Theory about his talk with Ignis. Winterfell was coming to raid them... though Ignis had promised it was merely part of a bargain that they'd struck, that they really meant no harm and that they wouldn't be taking anyone prisoner or really trying to hurt anyone, it still stung. They were supposed to be allies, weren't they? Surely Theory wouldn't strike against an ally as part of a bargain? But then again, he'd said it was to rescue someone's boyfriend...

Corvus wasn't sure how to feel about it, but he was far from happy about the news. And regardless of the outcome, he felt he ought to be prepared. Lately his scouting missions near the borders had turned more into running sessions; making sure he was working on his endurance seemed like a good way to occupy his spare time, just in case. That was precisely what he was doing today when he came across Twig's scent, which almost instantly threw his one-tracked mind off course. He hadn't seen her in a few days and he'd been wondering what she'd been doing.. maybe now was a good time to catch up.

By the time he reached her, navigating quickly through the plains, he was full-on panting. It took him a moment to regain his breath before he realize that she wasn't just sitting and enjoying the scenery. She looked downright depressed - were those tears in her eyes? - and immediately he feared the worst. Clearly she wasn't alright. Was she injured? Had someone hurt her? Obvious worry wove itself onto his features as he moved closer, tentatively leaning to bump his nose into her shoulder before pulling away and assessing her features more closely. "Twig, what's going on?"

Twig didn’t linger there for very long, though she was long ate through with worry. Where her adopted nephews were she hadn’t the faintest. She promised to take care of them, but it hadn’t been half a year and they were gone. Tears flowed down her cheeks and her sobs covered the sound of Corvus and his approach. She startled slightly as he touched her shoulder, but her liquid amethyst eyes found his gaze.

It was good to know he’d come to see to her when she was in distress instead of running the other way. Which by all rights he had plenty to excuse himself. Corvus was sensitive though, and she already knew how protective he was over the pack. Did that extend to her? They had been so close on the beach, and he hadn’t hesitated to offer his touch in comfort.

”I can’t find my nephews.” It wasn’t raining but she felt like it was. Twi g held herself loosely, feeling utterly defeated she hung her head. ”I was supposed to take care of them.” She didn’t know what else to do now besides alert their alpha. Then the whole pack would be convinced she didn’t care about the boys, when all she wanted for them was happy lives after tragedy.

Protectiveness swelled like the tide within him, only exacerbated further as he realized just what kind of state she was in. If anyone had hurt her, he'd kill them. Maybe not literally, but the intensity of emotion that suddenly overwhelmed him felt almost violent in nature, and it took him by surprise. He realized suddenly just how much he disliked seeing her in pain, and he wished badly he could take it all away. But her answer assuaged just some of his worries. Nobody in particularly had bothered her, but... her nephews were gone. He knew she'd been caring for them and now they were gone.

His heart ached for her. Where could they have gone? He hadn't caught wind of their scents for awhile now, but then again Abaven was a large pack and keeping track of everyone was impossible. Maybe he shouldn't been helping keep track, too. Corvus felt a sudden pang of guilt at the thought. Raising children wasn't any one wolf's job in particular; it took a pack to raise children and he couldn't help but thing he'd been at fault for not reaching out to the children who had lost their mother. Why hadn't he done more? His brow furrowed, sympathy and pain mirrored back at her from his own gentle gaze as he leaned into her, sensing she needed him.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment, wishing he could do more for her. "We'll find them. I'm promise." Except.. there was a raid coming soon, and they needed to be training, but family came first, before any political issues between packs. "It's not your fault," Corvus added, his voice soft but stern. He knew she had done what she could, he would bet anything on it. "You can't blame yourself. They've... gone through a lot. More than anyone their age should. I'm sure they're just figuring it out. In their own ways." He couldn't promise her they were fine and safe, as much as he wished he could, but he could promise that he'd help find them and do what he could do ensure their safety. Whatever it took.

She explained herself, feeling so helpless that she didn’t even hide her emotions. Tears welled up and slid down her cheeks as she spoke. She felt completely at fault. Corvus didn’t hesitate to lean into her as he realized fully her state. Twig took his comfort and leaned heavily against his larger form. He tried to soothe her with his words as well, he was sure they would find them. Like he was looking through a door inside her heart he also mentioned how this wasn’t her fault.

Twig grit her teeth as she sobbed softly, losing control of her emotions. Most of it was the relief knowing he didn’t blame her. ”It’s so hard not to.” If she had only kept a better eye on them. If she worked harder… not they had been through a lot, no matter what she did they would wander and try and find their own path. She wasn’t their mother, no matter how hard she tried. Twig could only hope and pray that they were alright and found their way back to her safely.

She sighed heavily and leaned her head against Corvus’s shoulder as she admitted to defeat. If anything happened to them… She couldn’t think about it. ”I hope they’re okay.” She knew he couldn’t speculate on their well being, anything could have happened and that was the worst. Not knowing where they were or how they were doing. ”Abaven doesn’t deserve so much sorrow.” Twig followed up softly, the last year was so difficult. When you were at your lowest you could only go up, but it seemed like they were only getting pushed lower and lower.

Corvus often worried he didn't quite know how to help when others were feeling overly emotional - his preferred method of hoping was to hide away and deal with things on his own. And while he wanted to be there for Twig, to wipe away her pain, he was fearful he might only make things worse. He couldn't fully promise to find her nephews but he could promise to try, and he could promise he'd be here for her, for whatever she needed.

She explained herself, feeling so helpless that she didn’t even hide her emotions. Tears welled up and slid down her cheeks as she spoke. She felt completely at fault. Corvus didn’t hesitate to lean into her as he realized fully her state. Twig took his comfort and leaned heavily against his larger form. He tried to soothe her with his words as well, he was sure they would find them. Like he was looking through a door inside her heart he also mentioned how this wasn’t her fault. "I'm so sorry," he repeated himself, leaning into her more. The urge to lick away her tears was strong but feared the gesture might not be appropriate. "I know how it feels. I still blame myself for my sister leaving so long ago. I worry if I'd only done more, she might've stayed." Maybe it wasn't the same, but it certainly was similar at the same time. "It's been years but I still blame myself, so I know you won't stop feeling that way. But try to not let it completely take over."

Maybe he shouldn't have told her that, but he knew the pain would never completely fade, only dull until it was a barely-noticeable ache. One that would flare up sometimes and feel almost unbearable, while other times it merely felt like a distant memory. "Abaven will always persevere. That's what we do. No matter what." No natural disaster, no terrible death, nothing could topple Abaven. He knew that more than anything in his life, and hoped she knew it too. Slowly he moved closer, pressing his cheek to her own and letting it rest there for a long moment as he closed his eyes.

Corvus offered more support than he knew, Twig leaned heavily against his side and the Destruction man leaned back. She felt safe showing her emotions and he showed her that he wasn’t going to tell her they were wrong. Corvus was supportive and sweet and he offered to do everything in his power to help her return them to the pack. She didn’t realize how similar their stories were as he mentioned the loss of his sister, and how much he blamed himself for her disappearance.

”Thank you,” she whispered, not hesitating to press the top of her head underneath his chin as she actively sought his support and affection. Tears still fell from her eyes but Autumn felt stronger with Corvus here beside her. He gently pressed his cheek to hers, and though she felt anew wave of tears it wasn’t just for her nephews, but for Corvus’s sister as well. For th etwo of them having to be strong through the loss of their family.

”It means a lot to me, knowing I have you to depend on.” She confessed softly as she pressed against his cheek in return. Without thinking she shifted her features and gave him a grateful peck on the cheek.

It was hard to feel like he hadn't been partly to blame for his sister's disappearance, or even his brother's, despite the fact that he had returned to them. What if he'd reached out to her more? Stopped to check in, to make sure she was okay? As deeply as he'd loved Rhea he'd always been closer to Aiden, and the guilt over her leaving without an explanation had eaten away at him for a long time. As the seasons went on, as he grew older, it became much easier to push those feelings deep down inside, to feel simply sad rather than guilty over what he might have done wrong - or even what he hadn't done. What was done was done, and mulling over the past couldn't change things. It was much more realistic to focus on the present and on improving things in the here and now so that he could be better, for his family, for Abaven, for the ones he loved.

They had both suffered greatly, though he hoped they were becoming stronger because of it. Sometimes it was just hard to think of that in the midst of an emotional moment, like the one Twig was having. He didn't reply to her word of thanks, only leaned further into her, equally as comforted by her presence. "And you mean a lot to me," he replied, for once without hesitation, without stopping to consider the gravity of her words. She was a breath of fresh air in a world that often felt stiflingly bleak, and he appreciated her company more than he knew how to verbally express. Hopefully his physical touch gave her some indication of how much she mattered to him. The kiss on his cheek brought a surprising heat to his face, though his instinct wasn't exactly to pull away, despite being uncertain about what he was doing. "Thank you for everything," Corvus finally added, leaning to nuzzle his face into her shoulder and inhale her scent, comforting and familiar.

Twig closed her purple gaze and leaned into Corvus as he offered his warmth, his protection, and his support. Though guilt and the heaviness of the situation weighed heavily upon them. They let themselves fall into reminiscence, and wallowed with the memory of their missing loved ones. Twig didn’t know what she would do except look and hope they returned to her. The boys weren’t missing for long, they still had a chance to find them, but Twig wasn’t sure that Corvus’s sister would ever return to them.

”You mean a lot to me.” The Memoire girl felt her broken heart suddenly flutter at his words. Despite the horrors and the tragedy that hung over the two of them she found herself enjoying the moment on a more personal and intimate level. She sighed heavily into his side, despite the stress of life’s turmoils she felt herself relaxing against him.

Twig swallowed hard as he thanked her in return for what she had done for him and she suppressed the heavy emotions within her. ”Of course,” she whispered softly into his thick chocolate brown fur. ”I’ll always be here for you, Corvus.” Autumn told him truthfully. Other than the young boys he was the closest she had to friend or family and the girl wouldn’t hesitate to admit his importance in her life.

There was comfort in Twig's touch, despite the fact that some of her heavy feelings were now weighing on his mind now too. Some of the guilt of his own that he'd pushed deep down felt like it had suddenly been dredged up, just enough to open wounds that had never fully healed. He had no doubt his pain currently wasn't as great as hers, and being something stable for her to lean on - both physically as well as metaphorically - suddenly felt important to him.

He couldn't deny that her closeness, coupled with her emotional vulnerability right now and how she was talking to him, was making his own heart flutter in a way he couldn't remember ever feeling before. "And I, for you," Corvus repeated, his words clearly having more weight to them than he'd expected. Theory was his best friend, but so was Twig, albeit in a different way entirely. "No matter what." It was hard to shake the feeling that he was being redundant, but he wanted her to know exactly what she meant to him, even if he didn't quite have the words for it. "We should go rest for awhile, what do you say?" He suggested lightly. After some rest he could go scouting the borders for the boys, but surely she was tired from crying and rest sounded like a good start.

Hearing the words echoed by his deep voice caused her heart to skip a beat. The weight wasn’t lost on her. Twig’s caramel ears slid to her skull humbly as he reassured her twice over. She closed her eyes tight and aimed to hug him tight. The weight of the world seemed to be on her shoulders, but Corvus offered to help her hold it. ”No matter what.” Twig promised in return, determined to keep her word and hold him up as he did for her. She didn’t know her heart could live in her throat and exaggerated in her veins.

Corvus read her better than she did herself as he softly suggested a rest. Autumn wouldn’t do Beat and Pitch any good exhausted. A soft sigh fell from pale lips in defeat, she was doing nothing here but shedding tears and feeling sorry for herself. Her belly butterflies swarmed as Corvus said We, the Memoire girl suppressed a wave of nerves that washed over her. However many conflicting emotions warred in her Corvus gave her hope that was difficult to cultivate.

”We should,” the corners of her lips pulled back into a soft smile as she agreed with him softly. Maybe the future ahead of them would be difficult, but Corvus would be there to help her through and she would be there for him. Twig leaned against him again, suddenly wanting nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms.

What now? It felt like they'd shared a new sort of moment that he'd never experienced before, and he both felt.. relieved and vulnerable at the same time. Like he'd bared his heart on his sleeve for her to see. He nodded slowly at her words. It felt good to have someone else on his side - not that all of Abaven wouldn't be there for him if he needed it, but this connection felt more personal, more intimate somehow, and... it was this kind of connection that helped him get through the tougher times.

"Some rest, and then we'll get to work," Corvus suggested, allowing the faintest hint of a warm smile to touch his lips. She was hurting and sad, and he knew sometimes when he felt like that, a good rest was enough to help him feel rejuvenated... at least it was better than wallowing in those feelings for too long. And doing it in the company of another was always good, at least that always helped Corvus too. Letting her lean against him for a long moment, he was hesitant to pull away, but eventually - and quite begrudgingly - did so and moved in search of somewhere more secluded for them to rest together.

- exit?-