Sequoia Coast was there ever a trap to match the trap of love?

as much as he had built those walls to block out any who might try to peer into his inner feelings and hurts, illidan found it incredibly difficult to hide away the burning pain that had lashed out against him when she had last spoken. he could not release the idea that she believed him to be without a soul. more than this, the young ghost could not convince himself that she had been wrong. he had turned away from their last meeting with a newfound ache – a self-loathing weight that had made a home within him. every day was a new reminder... she's right, you know. someone with a soul could never behave the way that you do.

“wandering seems to be a habit for me now,” he answered her query with a haunted smile that lingered on the edges of his dark lips. “or a coping mechanism.” then, he turned his hawkish yellow sights to her pale features. if she were to peer closely enough, she would have seen the sadness that echoed inside of him. young as he might have been, there seemed to be ages of grief hidden beneath the ash and ink of his pelt.

then, she inquired about his home and whether or not it was a place that had created an air of depression for him. as much as he wanted to tell her that she was right, he did not. instead, he allowed for his gaze to linger on the slender length of her muzzle for a long moment before bowing his head. the breath of the seaside wind rocked against his lean frame. “home, and everywhere else...” he finally responded. then, as though he was surprised by his own moment of honesty, he cleared his throat and furrowed his brows. there was a mixture of shock and shame inside of him. he knew he should not have been so open with her – she was the enemy, wasn't she?

“did you mean it... what you said before?”

the words fell from his mouth without his permission. fire burned through his entire frame, turning his flesh to tattered ashes. he could not pry his gaze away from her face in that moment. it was the first time that he seemed to carry emotion in his voice. if she were to look at him, she would see just how deep her words had been embedded in his flesh.