Sea Lion Shores i want a hot dog real bad

Artaax shook his head slowly, in spite of agreeing with her. Wildfire had hurt him terribly. He hated her. He wanted to hate her. He wanted to believe the things he'd said to her, that she meant nothing. That she was nothing. But she wasn't. She was his mother, and no amount of pain or misery would ever change that fact. They were bound by blood, and he could no more hate her than he could stop his heart from beating.

He searched for Furi's face again, finding her looking away from him as she attempted to offer some condolence to him. Like her sympathy, it did nothing to alleviate the pain. But it did distract him. "I'm sorry for your mother," he murmured quietly, something triggering in his head. He apparently had heard it, but only now was it registering when he needed desperately to find something else to occupy his thoughts. It worked a little. Maybe something else would too.

Artaax crept towards her, leaning to brush her cheek with his nose. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but his mind was confused and hurting. He was remembering the golden nymph he'd met just before his mother destroyed his world. It had felt nice to be near her. All the fear and anxiety he'd been battling at the time had disappeared in her touch. There'd been nothing but amber and honey and sweetness. He wanted that again.

Mallaidh was nothing like his golden goddess, but she was warm and she was near, as long as she did not reject his touch. They both hurt, so they could both use each other, couldn't they?