Blackwater Islands the first of sixty thousand hours obsessed with you

ugh, this got out of hand xD

A gargoyle, ever present on the shores of the Sound, loomed at the front of the land bridge that led to Blackwater. The beast, cloaked in the night, looked outward through the dark trees and watched as the shadows lifted under dawnlight. He expected her -- his chest thrumming with impatience -- until at last, after days of many disappointments, she was there.

Ego knew it was her, even when she was but a smudge in the distance; he needed very little light to know the approach of his betrothed. The sunrise bathed him, bringing color to the relief and heartache upon his stony countenance, as he began to trot in her direction with his tail hoisted in relentless pride. It took him only a moment to recognize the fretful grief in her canter, and he came to a standstill to receive her -- steadfast as a riverrock under the rush of her rapid waters.

He could smell the anxiety still clinging to her pelt, and he needn't ask to know what plagued her. Upon first meeting her, she had made it abundantly clear that her priority lie with her sisters. Both of them were gone now, leaving her pitiful and yearning beyond his capability to mend.

His only welcome was a kiss upon her forehead and a hard-muscled embrace; reassuring her that he was there to shield her. But he was quick to cut to the bone of her agony and he did not mince words. Look at what they have done to you. His voice crawled low with anger, directed at the druids. If they cared for you at all, they would not have done this. It is unconscionable. And you would have me stand by impotently as you become destitute. This is not what I want for us. She would be his and no other's, or she would not be his at all. She couldn't expect him to respect those that had broken her, or allow her to continue obeying orders that were wholly against her will.

You are too loyal to them, and they do not deserve you. Leave with me, or return to that witch-pack; it is your choice. But I will never set foot upon that island nor speak their name ever again. And I can never respect you if you choose them.