Hushed Willows Blood Bank

“Aftermath” thread for Njord after Meerkat's. Wanted to get this up while my feels were still fresh. Open to @Meerkat or @Stingray …or can simply be a RO.

The trio ping-ponged between the Ravine and Willows in a desperate attempt to find @Swordfish. Yet as the hours turned into days, it became evident that the boy’s trail petered out into nothing. The Sveijarn-Corten family was left with a hole in their hearts, consoled only by the fact that their red-tailed Fish had made it out of Dragoncrest alive.

He was out there… somewhere in the wilds. Njord tracked and tracked and tracked until he could barely move a muscle. The adrenaline drained from his blood, from his body, and left a struggling waif of a man behind.

All things the father feared had come to pass. The bear. The death of one son. The absence of another. The last image of Sapphique and their blood-curdling cries as they launched at their foe. Had any of them made it out alive? Njord would have to live with the fact that, while he had escorted those who depended on him most out of the cliffs, he had left the rest of his loved ones to face the bear alone.

Njord’s body trembled as his fortitude began to decline. A great wave he had repressed in the throws of flight began to crash down upon him.

“Do you trust me?” Meerkat asked him.

“Forever,” he replied. His answer would never change.

The small family found a safe resting spot in Hushed Willows for the night. They made sure Stingray was comfortable. Then, Njord excused himself to a small adjacent glen.

The moment he was alone, the man's legs buckled. The once-strong seafarer slumped into a half-seated position as the final thread of his constitution snapped. He cried in earnest. Hot tears rolled down and croaking sobs prevented any breath. A quiet stifled moan racked his body as he suffered a surge of emotions stronger than any riptide, holding his side as an invisible pain snaked up his ribcage.

There were small lucid thoughts. Words in his mind as he imagined what could have been done to ensure a different outcome. Yet, for the most part, terror and grief coalesced into an overwhelming storm of the spirit… one of which Njord had never seen the likes of before.

I have so many owed replies, the natural solution is to ignore all those in favour of nabbing these shiny new ones!

It was impossible to sleep in the aftermath of all that had happened. Stingray still didn't fully understand what had led to his family's abrupt flight from Sapphique, but that felt like it had happened ages ago now. Swordfish disappearing into the snow consumed every thought he had. His emotions swung wildly from fear and worry for his brother's safety to confusion to grief and loss to anger. The pendulum effect was exhausting for a boy who rarely dwelled on his feelings.

His parents did their best to ensure he was settled, but every time he closed his eyes, he could see his brother's deep blue gaze staring back at him. Why'd you leave me out here all alone? he would say, and the guilt of giving up the search would make Stingray's own eyes pop open again. This went on for a while before he lifted himself up and plodded away from their hideaway.

He followed Njord's tracks thoughtlessly. It was something of a surprise when he zoned back in and saw his father just ahead, and even more of one when he realized the man was weeping. Da? he asked softly, swallowing past the huge lump that lodged itself in his throat.

The boy closed the distance hesitantly. He wasn't exactly a pro at consoling others. He didn't know the half of what Njord was going through, since he remained quite ignorant about Sobo and their connection. Ray didn't really know what he could do to help, but felt he had to do something, so he settled himself next to his father, pressed his shoulder gently to the man's own, and whined a low note.

ssaaaaaammmmeeeeeeeee

The more sobs Njord croaked, the less breath he caught. Each inhale grew shorter and shorter until he was gasping. Though the seafarer and his family were safe, for the moment, the feeling of real danger sent his body into overreaction. His chest contracted. The world grew narrow. He felt true, raw panic.

Death was near. They knew him. And his sons.

Njord’s squeezed his eyes shut, expression contorted in pain. His ears rolled back and pressed against his skull. Despite this, he was eerily quiet… except for the rapid wheezing that hissed from his constricted throat.

Da?

Someone was warm against him. Njord felt his arm move by itself. It reflexively wrapped around Stingray and pulled him close. Perhaps too tight. All the while Njord’s lungs fought for an iota of oxygen. Tears pinpricked from behind shuttered lids. Jaw agape like a goldfish. He held onto Stingray for dear life – as if he was drowning and Stingray was the only buoy that kept him afloat.

For a moment it felt like it would go on forever. There was no death, just the anticipation of it. A long, drawn-out, exposition.

Njord fought to hold onto any shred of reality to ground himself. Any rule of the real world to make the imagined danger go away: Stingray’s fur was soft. The snow was cold. The ground was hard. Sobo was dead.

At last, he hiccuped and took a draught of air. And then another. Until his ribcage moved with great heaves. The storm had passed. Or maybe, he was just in the eye of it.

It was many long moments before Njord felt like he was back on planet Earth. Still, he held Stingray close. As close as he could. The father felt vulnerable and out of sorts – hardly the role of protector or family leader he was supposed to be. It felt like an atomic bomb had detonated in his heart... and now the aftershocks wracked him while the fallout ate away at all the goodness that was left.

"Stingray," he managed to say, "Ah love ye so much."

He had to know. He had to tell him. If not, Njord would regret it for the rest of his life.

I'm so sorry for the wait! I revived this for this reply, but we can definitely archive here if you prefer since it's been so long!

What followed was a long and painful stretch of time for Stingray.

He had never witnessed the way an adult unraveled. Oh, he had been present for all of Meerkat's grief when Njord disappeared, but she had hidden it well from her children. Her sobs had been quiet at night and she had swiped away the tears when they might see. There had been other outlets for her emotions, and Stingray had been a fairly young boy. Most adults were composed. Nothing seemed to touch them.

This was wholly different.

From where he was tucked against his father's side, he couldn't see the way that grief stretched and tore at Njord's features, but Ray could feel every rattle and shake that coursed through him. He could feel the rapid pace of his da's breathing, his sides rising and falling so fast that Stingray was certain he would soon pass out from the lack of proper air. The man's sorrow crashed through him and spilled over into his son, who began to tremble as well. Tears pricked his eyes and anguish filled his lungs.

It came to an end eventually, but by then, Stingray was filled with distress about the disappearance of his brother, the fear that everyone he had known was going to die, and the loss of a life that was once peaceful if not always comfortable. When Njord spoke, Stingray needed to hear it more than anything in the world, and a shuddering sob broke his lips.

Love you too, da.