when he awoke, he gazed upon the mask of his mother.
she watered him, tended to him, refreshed what needed to be so. then his voice had become small in his throat. even if he willed himself to be deadpan, a stoic wall.
he asked for his mother to bring @Mireille near for him. to help him so they might sit in a private place just beyond the den. still so close, for he did not trust himself to go far, but so that the wind would tussle his bedded down fur.
he had to lay down, he found.
his gaze stayed diligent for his sister.
erzulie fetched her. mireille joined quennell as soon as she was able, a tease dying on her mouth. she ruffled his head instead and tried not to look at the stump of his tail.
"how you be, little bro'ter?" her emerald gaze was hopeful after days of wild anger.
ass-less.
his attempt at humor fell flat, dead by his tone alone. unfortunate.
i be t'inkin', mir.
he motioned her closer, so that she may settle in next to him. his eyes closed for a moment and the sea breeze shuffled a firebrand nape.
her lips quirked but mireille did not laugh at her little brother. she stretched out near him, tapped his snout with her paw.
"what you be t'inkin of, quen?" and she looked past, into his eyes, which felt to her full of many things he should not carry.
he had brought her here because he trusted her.
he knew that she might understand, that she might have a heart for him in a different way. some tangle of his mamans in one.
but mir also stood at the head of sapphique and if she decline his words, then that would be it.
i be t'inkin' of goin'...away. i be repayin', dun worry.
he tried to smirk with humor on the last words, but his lips only pulled thinly as if he grimaced his pains.
the girl was not yet old enough to hide the splay of her ears and the hurt in her eyes. this was not about her, however.
"repayin' what, exactly, quen?" she asked, leaning forward to nudge his cheek.
she did not give him teeth or ill words, even with the soft sadness that touched her.
quennell could not say why he expected it from near everybody lately. the bear, maybe.
dis.
he gestured softly towards his rear. where medicines had been applied and seaweed was often kept it seemed.
realization brought hot tears to her eyes. mireille inhaled, not bothering to hide them.
she kept her voice even.
"so you goin' off for revenge, den?" mireille asked gently, not daring to look into his eyes just yet.
revenge!
in all of his dreams of the bear and the loathing that followed, quen had never thought on revenge. only regret.
nah.
a little shake of his head. i be goin' off to...
his voice trailed, a soft shrug of his shoulders.
fix myself.
don't be selfish don't be selfish
loko, coraline, all the others she did not know.
she covered his paw with hers. "come back an' visit, once you be mended."
acceptance, shining in her wet green eyes.