Broken Boulder let that music play you through the pain

it was on the border that she found her first loose end, unexpected, odd amongst all else that was alien. the heat of the dying day played through her fur with every stiffing of some teasing breeze, settling the fronds and grasses whispering their discontent. for a moment she was silent, watching, waiting, eyes tracing the shadows between the trees. 

she voiced her cry, trembling note cutting through the day's haze and settling amid the canopy, fading until she was left alone, once again, in her own silence.

When the call rang out, he dragged himself from his den reluctantly to answer it. He moved slowly, praying no one saw him, and that if they did, he didn't look as bad as he felt. The day was fading away slowly; he had hoped to wait it out entirely in the seclusion of his den. It seemed that wasn't meant to be.
She was red, and slim, he noticed upon approaching her. Alarian chuffed, tail swishing tiredly as he closed the distance between them. Younger than himself— beautiful, in the distant way women often were in his eyes. Welcome to the Bracken Sanctuary, Even his voice sounded tired; he blinked a few times, trying to clear the lethargic fog from around him. I'm Alarian, the Governor. Is there anything I can do for you?

SOM U SNIPED ME

though he is reluctant to leave his posted sentry by the den, delight knows he can't just stand around forever. there is little for him to do -- queenie's in charge of the important stuff and lord knows she doesn't want him crowding her twenty four seven. the babies are still too little to do much. he feels like he's going to tear out of his skin if he doesn't keep busy. (and in the end its probably for the best queenie and delight ended up having the babies here -- if it had been just the two of them trying to figure this shit out, it would have ended badly.)

so he shifts his sentry to the border, taking up a patrol that's more of a quiet stroll than anything else. it's been a while since he's done a little introspective trip -- he can't leave the sanctuary of course, but this is sorta similar. when anatha's howl goes up, delight's already fairly close, frozen mid-step. it's difficult to qualify which loss hurts the worst when he reflects on tindómë. he holds no ill will about any of them -- it is all his fault, after all (well, except maybe mato -- and there  he can't really hold a grudge. he loves him still.) 

anatha, though, was one of the hardest. he'd been closer to gracious and to seabreeze, but anatha was the one he'd directly let down, allowing her to come to harm under his rule, then allowing her to slip away again in the move. he had not thought he'd see her again, and yet, here she is. slowly the chancellor drags his feet toward her, prepared to meet her deserved ire. 

"anatha," delight calls out softly once he's within view. only belatedly does he also register the governor's presence, and nods to him awkwardly. woops. 

there comes a man, yet she is not interested in him, in his lethargy and his position. she only blinks at him, offering little more than a slight shake of her head; it is instead the man behind him that she focuses on, gaze zeroing in in the familiar face that once she loved in some secret place of her heart. never acknowledged, never put word to, yet existing; she wonders if it has been stamped out by time or if she cares for him in some other way, still. 

"delight." she echoes the words, silent only a moment before speaking again. "I was not brave. I am sorry." if she had been, she would have found them again, would have made good on her promise to herself to live her life, to the promise she'd made the old woman. she has questions; of tindome and of its members, but she is silent again, watching him and not the male who seems to want to be elsewhere. perhaps she ought to greet him properly, but it does not matter when her leader is here before her; when she ran so hard and so long instead of fighting, instead of being brave.

feel free to pp him out if del wants him to go <3

He was almost too tired to think, but he couldn't help feeling a little... well, hurt. The stranger ignored him. Delight barely noticed him. Alright, he told himself, blinking several times, that's fine, this is fine. She didn't seem here to join, or to discuss any official pack business, so— it was fine. Whatever else she had to say, it wasn't any of his business, so he tried not to pay much attention. It was cryptic anyway.
I'll, um, let you two...? It was directed at Delight; if his friend wanted him there for whatever reason, he'd stay. If not, well— he'd drag himself back to his den and pretend he didn't care about stupid little things like being ignored. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to focus on Delight. At least he never got tired of looking at him (even if he was too exhausted and uncomfortable to admire right now).

embarrassedly his gaze flickers to alarian. anatha's words cut him -- of course he wants to focus on her -- but this is still alarian's pack, his borders, and he deserves some context if nothing else. so he clears his throat and says softly, "alarian, this is anatha -- she was a part of tindómë." to anatha, he says, "anatha, alarian -- the leader of this pack."

he takes a few steps closer to his former pack-mate, shooting alarian a slightly guilty glance. "i'll talk to you later," he offers, hoping that smooths things over, whether his friend decides to stay or not. and then he moves to embrace anatha, if she'll let him, a quick press to convey more than he can say. "i don't mind," he tells her quietly, "i wasn't brave either. i'm just glad you're ... are you okay?"