A/N: So I feel like I like to play up scenarios like this all the time and probably all too often but... oh well.
"I don't… I don't understand."
She gave a heavy shake of her slender body and carefully made her way back towards his voice; her once nicely trimmed nails clicked against the porcelain floor in painful splinters. The bottom of her pads were bloodied and tracked crimson smears behind her with each step. Her thick, gray fur was damp with a mix of sweat and blood, a few patches of it was missing, having been violently ripped out by a multitude of weapons.
Pain wrecked her body in faint pulses that radiated down to her toes and even to the tip of her snout, which had been split open once or twice in the turn of the battle. One of her back legs had a gash that ran downward, and on that same side, her hindquarter had taken a nasty blow from one of the enemy Paladins early on.
She walked in pain and her wounded leg had a slight limp in it.
The battle had taken longer than imagined and these soldiers were stronger than she had first assumed; they struck harder than those before them and forced some of their own soldiers to step up on their own strengths.
She loved every minute of it.
This was the battle, the thrill she had been seeking. And while her thirst was far from being quenched, she was enjoying the drink for what it was worth.
But the empty sorrow that invaded and conquered his tone was enough to snap her out of the bloodlust mindset that she had relished in. Lifting her head, she spotted where he was standing almost lonely on the safer side of the battlefield. The white of the tiles below combined with the faint rays that pushed through the cracks in the tower walls almost highlighted his presence- almost giving him a presence more holier than that of the Goddess. For a moment, she almost had to pause and take a second look… just to make sure her wounded eye wasn't trying to play tricks on her.
He was silent as she drew closer, his own sense of sorrow and worry seemingly forcing him to choke on his own words. She had always regarded him as being an emotional creature, a habit that both his siblings had seemingly grown away from… and as much as she gave him a hard time about it, she knew it made him who he was. But even now, she could see him trying to keep the emotions restrained on his own accord; it was as if he wasn't sure what to feel…
Closing the space between them and ignoring those around as well, she moved to press her Wolf form against him; offering what small piece of comfort she could muster. She was not an emotional figure herself but she knew when her mate was in distress… it was something he could never hide from her. He didn't seem to notice her at first before delicate fingers slowly reached down to tangle lightly in her soft fur; she wouldn't say that the touch was empty but… something was missing.
A heavy sigh escaped from her chest as she burrowed her head into the thick folds of his robe.
The battlefield was empty with the exception of their own forces and the bodies of those who tried to stop them. At the far end of the field laid two men who had probably impacted his life the most… Senators Hetzel and Lekain. One had once owned him but left a confusing relationship to form; one side might argue that Hetzel had in fact saved him really… and another might say that he only contributed to his endangerment instead.
And Lekain… well enough could be said about that man, but she preferred to not infect her mind with those words. He was the man behind the Serenes Forest massacre, behind the assassination of the Begnion Apostle so many years ago. And during the duration of this battle, he revealed his plans to completely wipe out those remaining of the Heron Tribe. He had made plans to kill this Apostle Sanaki just the same and shove the blame off once more…
With only four members remaining, it was difficult to see how anyone could believe that, but… well perhaps nothing more needed to be said about that. Despite the Herons' delicate nature, it didn't stop people from slaughtering them before; she doubted anything would stop them now. Except for her that is. Had these ridiculous plans actually gone through, she would've gladly slaughtered half of Tellius to keep him safe.
There was no possibility of it ever occurring now, but the thought of it was plaguing him still.
After suffering for so long, why would anyone wish to continue this abuse?
She stepped back briefly as he moved down to his knees before she settled herself against him once more. Resting her head against his thin shoulder, she felt the way his hands moved to tangle in the thick mane of fur around her neck as he leaned against her just the same. For the most part, she wasn't a fan of emotions and tried to steer clear of them when she could, but moments like this tied her up and pulled her in… and she was willing to go without a struggle. He was safe and would always be, but one could not help the darkened thoughts that were easy to spread like a plague. To some, he was a prized possession; a trophy, a display. He was worth more than half of someone's entire life estate and yet, it was all still just meaningless value.
There were still people willing to do harm.
Because to some, there can never be enough suffering.
And he could not understand why.
He had already lost everything, why take more?
Her form shifted back into its biped state, and yet she still fitted firmly against him; the transformation process not bothering their embrace in the slightest bit. The only difference was the addition of her fingers curling against his back. That heavenly light that had surrounded him before was blocked out for a moment as he wrapped his wings around the two of them; shielding them into a case that was all their own.
Once more, she had always considered emotions to be weak and that they reflected back on the owner as such. But for some reason, in this moment, it made her feel strong. If only for a short while.
"There's no reason to worry any longer." she remarked. As much as she would've liked to pull away and regain her footing, she knew better than to break a mold like this. He still needed his moment to recover and he needed her to be here for it. "There was never a reason to."
He pulled her in tighter for a moment, pressing his forehead into the curve of her broad shoulder for a moment. "It is foolish, I know, but… I can't let it go. I can't help it."
"I'll never ask you to change… this is just you." she whispered, tilting her head in against his as one hand moved to cradle against the curve of his jaw. She was terrible at comforting people but he had slowly been teaching her throughout the years. "We have a long way to go but we're almost at the top."
He nodded against her skin and pulled away just enough to brush his forehead against hers; giving her the perfect view of his almost transparent eyes. In that single moment, she felt like she could see every year of pain that bore harsh lines on his face. They were both far from being perfect but… he was closer to perfection than she was.
"Hey, when you two are finished… whatever it is you're doing, we do have a pretty serious matter to take care of."
She felt her insides cringe at the voice and felt that urge to harm the Hawk King arise once more. She swore she heard a light chuckle escape her Heron Prince before he slowly dropped his wings from around them, allowing for their case to be broken. Pushing herself to her feet, she took his hands and helped him; allowing for her touch to linger just long enough for the Hawk King to notice and be uncomfortable with.
The wounds that had once torn open her Wolf body were gone now, leaving nothing more than a lingering memory of what they once were.
"For once, you're right, Hawk." she started, not once minding her words or tone. "If we're done here, let's go."
He passed off one of his trademark grimaces before he simply moved on, not bothering to make a counter remark to her.
Of all things considering... she would mark that as a short victory.