Ankyra Sound lost at sea

it was difficult for him to hear those words from her. in his heart, he knew that she was far less likely to have returned if she had fulfilled her intentions. there had been a part of him that hoped he might never see her again unless they happened to stumble upon each other in some distant future. in those imaginary scenarios, illidan imagined that they would share a knowing moment of silence before she would slip away again. it was in those fantasies that he saw her with a stalwart brother and a sweet-smelling mother – a family that cared more for her than she would ever find in another group of beasts.
 
“i don’t know if i would call that luck,” the dark-hooded young man remarked with a thin-lipped smile that did not reach his gaze. there was something there that still hoped she would surprise him. it was as though he believed they had carried on that momentary conversation, only so that she might break into a sweeping grin before admitting that she found everything she had been searching for… and more.
 
the world didn’t work that way; he knew better.
 
with a soft sigh, the ghost nodded his head in understanding. they did not need to speak of family matters anymore. she had gone and done what she had needed to do before finding her way back. part of him realized that she had decided where her family truly was. “it’s good to have you back,” he told her in a quiet and graveled voice. the tone was haunted but sincere enough that she could not mistake it for anything more than a genuine sharing of emotion.