Blacktail Deer Plateau something in my heart

Aningan’s gaze snapped to the other sister as she spoke, struggling to piece together his own comment. “I know she’s not delicate,” he settled for saying. “But… even the strongest wolves need help sometimes. Why can’t I offer my help?” He wondered how much would be different, had help been asked for in the past. Would his own siblings still be with him? Would Caiaphas still have been turned away? He just wanted to help—all he ever wanted to do was help.

“Shouldn’t you be happy, too?” he asked. “Are you happy protecting them?” Was he happy trying to protect Rusalka? He liked to think he was—but moments like this one made him question it. But this conversation had him questioning a lot of different things, too. Especially when she continued on about not wanting to just be friends. What more was there?

“You say I don’t want you but how do you know?” How could she know when he did not? “Maybe I don’t want to be friends, either!” He never actually thought about it; to Aningan, there were friends, family, and strangers. But could there be something more than friends but less than family? Did Ying want to be family? The more she said, the more he thought—and the more confused he made himself, struggling to understand and come to terms with everything.