Ouroboros Spine wolf-father, at the door

at galana's questions, kivaluk draws in a soft breath, glad that her head rests against his shoulder. it makes it easier to hide his expression from her, the way it clouds. she is still just a girl and kivaluk struggles between wanting to protect her and wanting to be honest, wishing that they could overlap more than just the little bit that they did. he wants so desperately to tell her that their mama would return to them ... but he is a man grown now and she, a young adult; left when she was still so young, so vulnerable.

the truth was, kivaluk doubted it. greatly. but it wasn't an impossibility either. still, he didn't want to fill her with any more hope than she already had, only to see her crushed beneath it when it began to wither.

i don't know, galana. kivaluk settles for honestly, wishing he had something more concrete to offer, either way. it has been so long ... and she has not been the most stable of mothers. not like aana. it hurts him to speak of his mama as such! but it is the truth as kivaluk knows it.

she left me before, too. returned. and left. and she hasn't been back since.

but you have aana and aiolos. and me and chickadee. but was it enough for her? that was something only she could decide for herself, of course.