Northstar Vale forgiver

mother was waiting for new children and zosime could not bring herself to stress her.

so she went in search for her father (@Arsenio) when the world began to settle into evening. uncertain if her brother had already gone to speak with him — or if perhaps he had gone to rile the scarred man even more. she feared such.

father...?

her voice soft and quivering. still rattled from earlier.

Arsenio still found himself licking at the remnants of blood on his scored snout.

The sound of his daughter’s voice ushered him to where she was. The blue of his eyes was loving on his girl. He stepped toward her and rested his chin atop the downy fur of her head. The man felt his mind spin with thoughts of his son and the soldier. There had never been such distress on Antigone’s face before.

My little star, he whispered in a father’s loving voice.

What troubles you, dear?

she could not stop herself from hugging her father. holding him close as she squeezed her eyes briefly shut.

reyson and anti said such ugly things to one another today, her voice was a whisper. somehow fearful that one of them might hear her saying these things. that they might turn upon her!

i did not recognize either one when they spoke! they were...so angry.

The man stirred to know that his daughter had witnessed this fight between Antigone and Reyson.

Protective and swift, the redstone wolf pressed his dark nose to her figure. He tested her muscles with tentative prods, careful checking gestures. His eyes were clouded with worry. The sting of the bite on his snout was a reminder of the white hot anger he had felt from his firstborn son.

Were all Galanis men made with such rage?

Shh, my love. Tell me what they said. Tell me what happened, he urged her. Arsenio’s voice was gentle and patient. Antigone said that Reyson hurt him. Is this true?

i...don't know!

and she didn't! she feared the worst. that her brother had gone and poked the beast when they had separated. she had only witnessed such ugly words.

anti asked if he had spoken to meadow... it had seemed innocent in her eyes! then reyson accused anti of not liking him and saying that he did not need to answer anti! she sighed and shoved herself deeper against her father. sought the shelter he often provided.

anti did not understand reyson's importance to meadow. she pulled away only to twirl briefly. overcome with her anxiety and quickly scanning the area. reyson said...he said so much, father! he called anti pathetic and that he knew nothing. he said he would leave before something worse came.

but she was not done! only frantically sucking in a breath while her eyes watered —

Maybe she had not seen the harm that had been caused to her brother.

Whatever she had witnessed had put her in a state of grief. The girl pressed herself against him. Arsenio lifted his arms to wrap around her figure, drawing her close into a hug. He tucked his nose against her soft coat and listened to her recount the anger that had been shared between the two boys. The feeling of worry in his stomach was heavy as a stone.

Zosime had heard Reyson threaten something worse. Arsenio wondered if the man was actually capable of causing harm to the children. They were grown, yes… but they were still too young to square up against a soldier with years of experience on his back.

Antigone has told me that I must remove Reyson from Epoch.

Arsenio didn’t want to share this with his troubled daughter.

Do you think he is a danger to you? To your brother? To the new puppies that would be born soon.

it all felt so above her. how she had suddenly stumbled her way into such...big things!

she looked with wide, watery eyes upon her father. worried and fearful for things even she did not understand. home was not supposed to be like this...

why would he say before something worse came? what is worse? her lips trembled. she did not think her brother the picture of innocence either, but he had not gone so far as reyson had, she felt.

what did he do to anti? father, please. her voice small and trembling. they had parted ways and she had not known where her brother had gone off to.

The girl filled his heart with tears and worry. She was distraught. Arsenio wished to wipe away her tears and remove her concern for the matter she had witnessed. The Arche felt inadequate, knowing that he had not seen the argument, that he had no proof of Antigone’s claim against the soldier man.

Zosime asked what had happened to her brother.

Antigone said that Reyson struck his head against the ground, that his ears were ringing with his pain. He said that-

The man’s lips turned down in a thoughtful expression.

He said that he believed Reyson would do worse, if he could. This was the most concerning piece. It was the only piece of the argument that fit into both of their stories. I sent him to tend to Meadow, to find his calm. Maybe you can visit him and talk soon.

anti stormed off after reyson did,

she did not think reyson would truly do something so...violent! epoch was a paradise, a haven and a place to learn. this did not fit into any of those things!

i do not know. her lips pulled downward as her thoughts now went to her brother. it was good, she thought, that he might sit alongside meadow in healing if he was hurt. she felt a soft quiver of fear.

i can go sit with anti? i think it might be...best.

Of course you can, little star, Arsenio assured his daughter.

Her heart was so large! She carried Tamar’s warmth and care inside her. It hurt the man to see his sweet girl feeling such pain, such confusion. There was no answer that would please both sides, he knew. Something had happened between his son and the soldier. If he did not address it, there could be worse to follow.

Are you sure you do not need anything more from me?

Blue eyes watched the girl, loving and open.

I love you, Zosime, Arsenio reminded her, kissing the top of her head.

last from me! <3

i am sure.

even if her voice was small. there was a gentle comfort in the form of a kiss from her father. which she returned with one to his chin.

i'm going to anti now... she decided that this would indeed be best. that she might make sure things did not somehow come out even worse than they already were.

Arsenio nudged her, feeling the sting of Antigone’s bite on his muzzle.

The man’s blue eyes followed his daughter until she had slipped from sight. He waited outside of their den, lost in contemplation. Tamar slept peacefully inside, waiting for the day when she would give birth to their next litter. The thought of any harm coming to those pups had made his belly squirm in discomfort.

Reyson did not seem like the type of man who would harm a child. Arsenio knew this from speaking to him. But he had seen men do horrid things in war. He had seen good men become evil in the face of their mortality. If the soldier had reverted to this time, it was very possible that Antigone had been telling the truth.

And what would that mean for Epoch’s future? For the future of their children.