Blackfeather Woods the more i feel, the more i feel

i was hoping @Damien ?!

It had been weeks since his return to Blackfeather Woods, and yet Cicero had not yet sought out his brother. His brother had not sought out him, either, which made it easier for Cicero to hide away. It pained him that Damien had not come to look for him, for his own reasons were only fueled by his affection for Damien. He did not want Damien to see him this way, for though the wounds on his body were healing now, Cicero still felt naked, as though the wounds betrayed what had happened to him. As though Damien would know by laying eyes upon him that his brother had been unfaithful. And, what drove Cicero's fear perhaps even more than that, that Damien would not care, and would only be confirmed in his belief that two brothers could not feel the deep love that Cicero knew that they did. It was a ridiculous thought process, of course, and Cicero knew that, for he had analysed it deeply. There was no way that Damien would know by clasping eyes upon his brother's wounds that it was his virginity that had been taken, rather than a couple of scraps of hair and flesh.

Yet it was the depth of his shame that kept Cicero away from Damien for the moment. He was not purposefully hiding, for he had been around Burke and Kendra and Pietro too, but neither did he look Damien up. Cicero longed to be near him, to press his nose against Damien's fur, to nip at his ears and to sleep alongside someone who would protect him if need be, so that he did not need to be so afraid. But the truth was that where Cicero had always been bold and certain of what he and Damien were and where their journeys were meant to go — together — the encounter with the white wolf had somehow mashed that confidence to bits. The only thing that he could hope was that Damien's journey and time away from Cicero had made him realise how deep his love for his brother ran, had made him realise what Cicero knew all along. Lost in thoughts, Cicero trudged through the territory, considering his next, shorter outriding trip.