Noctisardor Bypass i am blood and blood and replay

the more she speaks, the further away he grows. he is torn. unknowing of whether he should believe a single word out of her mouth, and yet sense grapples him like bitter, hooking talons into his skin. why would she lie?

his chin tucks down against his chest, instinct to protect his throat from her scorn. ears pinned against his head. those yellow eyes boiling vats of sulfur that drown in her and see no escape.

she says: i will not let you go again. and it is a direct assault on the nature of the caribou hunter. to be free, unrestrained. to be amongst the herd he is most fond of, to know the salt of the black sea in his fur and on his tongue. beneath her gaze, he feels small. and that is what he despises the most. her forehead reaching to embrace against his, and he stiffens... but he does not pull away. only staring.

all my life i have been told you are a liar, he finally manages to speak words, hackles bristling, i will not take your word. for it means to betray the man who he calls father, who despite his alleged cruelty, had been all c'ede' knew for much of his life.

he steps back, away from her, but something does not allow him to turn and leave. he lingers, betrayed by the 'what if.'

what if. what if. what if.

but i know there is something telling me to stay and to know.