Blackfoot Forest somewhere inside, I hope you still see me just the way I was before I walked away

@Kove tagging, because I'm terrible and take forever ;_; I do want to keep going with this, though <3 For hopefully obvious reasons haha!

He said nothing, and her ears buzzed with the silence. Even her heavy tears ran without a noise - but she was used to the quiet now. But when she felt the warm press of his head against hers, his firm and gentle touch crashed her back to the surreal reality she found herself in. Nanook made a sloppy reel forward and, with the gravity of everything, pushed her forehead past her father's so she collapsed into the strength of his shoulders, and there, she wept.

"I'm sorry too." Her words choked through the thick clutch of her throat, and muffled into his fur. Why did he have to see her like this? She was supposed to be strong, like the ice bears he'd named her for. But all at once her defences fell - those she had built up to protect her from everything like this, those she had thought impenetrable - but they had always been cracked, hadn't they? Her heart had always leaked through, and that was why she ran. Deep guilt crept through her heart with long, dark fingers, scratching at the memories she had tried so hard to suppress.

"Was it my fault?" She whispered.  "That you and ma..." her breath caught, and she could only finish in hoarse repetition, "was it my fault?"