The Sentinels 'Cause I'm a screamer, baby make me a mute

Was she right for leaving them, for letting the new parents experience their joy without her within their walls? Was it better that she not be there to remind them that the only reason the had those four healthy puppies was the woman they befriended? She had thought so, pregnancy would have killed the woman. It almost had during their first try, instead she had come out weak and their children had not survived due to it being too early. Oh but how it was hard to leave those adorably wiggling puptatoes, how hard it was to leave the one they let her name because she looked so much like her. Her little Momo, would she have her eyes or would she have her father's soft grey? She would never know.

The couple would thank her, as it was Astrid had started producing milk and nursing the little one. She was no longer needed. Oh, sure, they said that her friendship was valuable. That they would call her an aunt, that she could help raise them but she couldn't do it. She had no idea how hard it would be until they were next to her, until they had took their squeaking gasps and latched onto her as their mother. She would never be able to let them keep them without her being another mother.

A sigh escaped her lips as she finally realised where her paws had brought her, without thinking she was back in a place she use to be so familiar with. A place she found her childhood love and fell hard for a warrior woman, a place where everything shattered and she had a beautiful baby boy. She missed him, did he ever miss her, did he ever think of her fondly? Did @Minori miss her, did she even want to see her again? Was she still here?

That was when she began to sing, start a song she had heard sung by the woman she still loved.

At first she'd thought she was imagining things in the breeze. The faint sound of song coming from what must've been just a short distance away cut off by the leaves rustling and tree branches creaking with a gust of wind. Minori had begun to wander that way, heart racing inside her chest and throat tightening until she nearly choked on her panic as she was determined to prove it just a cruel phantom.

But as she burst through the trees she saw a chocolate furred form walking and singing. The songbird was the same, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen aside from Deku. "Where are you going Takara?" she called out gruffly ears pinning back as she felt a surge of regret for calling out. Had Takara been around the entire time?Assuming a rigid posture she pretended to be angry instead of overwhelmed and to be honest like a overjoyed child on the inside. She searched for the beautiful eyes of her past love eagerly though she was cautious not to seem too soft just on their history. Takara had vanished so many times leaving her to try and keep Orochi from vanishing or getting himself killed...she really could have used someone. Maybe things could have gone differently. It was a lot to think about all in the short moment she waited for Takara to turn around.

"'Embrace love and walk' she repeated
That time i was just a child and i didn't understand it
She held my hand
We walked together"

The music fell from her lips and faded with the wind when her name was called, a question from the woman she still held in her heart. Dark tipped ears fell to her skull as she dreaded the expression that would fall across the dark warrior's face, would it be anger, would it be hatred?

She turned then, pale blue eyes falling on that beautiful ebony fur only marred by a single white marking. She was just as lovely, just as irresistible. Oh why did things have to fall apart, why did it all have the crumbled?

"MinMin.. I.." her lips formed the nickname as her eyes dropped, what could she say? I was looking for you, unintentionally following your scent.. "..looking for you.." she spoke softly, it was partially true.. escaping fate was another place she was going..

The blue of her eyes could make the ocean seem drab and grey. Minori's heart skipped a beat causing a tremor in her breath as she fought back the first wave of emotion. The frustratingly enchanting songbird still caused Minori to forget the world, everything blurring as there was only those eyes and a soft voice whispering an almost forgotten nickname. If she weren't a warrior with years of self control under her belt she'd have probably wagged her tail and smiled like a fool at the sweet words but instead she scoffed ears flicking as she rolled her eyes. It felt good to take a moment to let just a little bit of her anger out "Of course. Like a fairytale" she muttered looking away so those baby blues couldn't drag her in anymore as her fell against her head and she frowned stating "You're going the wrong way". It was petty attitude but she was afraid to open herself up to the woman right away after so many times. Of course she still intended to try and bring Takara home with her, hurt or not the woman still brought a flicker of life to parts of her heart she hadn't felt in a long time and the woman was hers anyway wanted or not right?

seafoam green eyes seemed to tantalized the songbird, drowning her as if they were the ever capping waves of the sea. She had dropped her eyes just moments after she watched the rolling of her warrior queen's eye roll, was she still hers? probably not, how was it that she seemed to royally fuck up everything in her life? was it like a fairy tale, did that make her the villain? it had to be, that just had to be it. "a fairy tale would have a happy ending." she murmured softly, it was quiet but just barely loud enough that the dark woman could hear it.

"doesn't the prince have to go the wrong way to find her princess? does the bard ever take the easy path to find what she were looking for? doesn't the villain always have to fuck up her world before she tries to make it right?" she finally spoke, a bitter laugh falling from her lips as she was prepared for the tongue lashing or even bite of teeth as she fixed her soft and sad blue eyes on the woman she still loved. how was she to fix this?

"A fairy tale would have a happy ending"

Their's hadn't.

Takara's eyes only grew rounder in her sadness but Minori stood firm glaring to the side in response. The rest of Takara's protest flooded her ears and she dug the toes of her paws into the soil inhaling sharply and snapping "My life isn't a fairy tale. You're right" the life that she had managed to disappear from time and time again. It wasn't pleasant but there wasn't anyreal anger behind it anymore. Turning wounded eyes her expression crumbling she looked fiercely back into those big sad eyes and stepped closer as words of her own poured free as if someone was pulling them from her throat "You want to fix it?" she couldn't help the way she wanted Takara to carry some of her pain. It wasn't fair that she'd gotten to run away while Minori faced it all alone. Even Higoro had disappeared sick of waiting around for her love while Teekon had erupted into natural disaster. "Deku is gone. Orochi left when he saw me a month or so ago. Issun is dead" She ranted angrily throwing the summary of it in her face, eyes stinging and filling up with tears that she was helpless to stop. With a long and shaky exhale she rushed forward not attacking but pushing her face deep into Takara's fur, probably pushing her back with the force of the embrace. It wasn't planned out but the impulse had her lunge, leaving her pressed against the woman feeling somehow numb and aching at the same time. "you left me during all of it"  she whispered breathing in the familiar scent as the tears spilled down over the soft black fur of her cheeks "fix it and stay this time" she nearly demanded it nibbling at the skin of Takara's ear, seeking the affection they used to share in secret almost hungrily. The angry emotional conversations would surely come at a later time but for now it was so much more important that there was still a chance for them to have a life.

She snapped, and everything she said was right. This was her fault, she was the one that ruined everything. She was the other woman that single handedly brought down the world around Minori and Issun, if she hadn't tried to find him none of this would have happened. She would not have kept pining over a man she could not have, she would not have tempted him. She would not have fell in love with the amazing warrior before her, she would not have left her to deal with her hot-headed child with her sweet tempered one. She would not have broken her heart when she fled out of her own depression and self-deprecating hate, this was hers to fix.

"i knew about Issun, an other told me while I was.. gone." Gone like everyone else in your life, like my mind and heart when I left. A single tear fell down her sad baby blues, even as she though of her little dragon and the little butterfly that was his half brother. hOw much more had she royally fucked? Anything else to add to the tallies?

Hen she lunged forward the songbird thought it was for an attack, she was prepared for pain but what she got was so much worse. It was what she wanted, what she craved. Even though it was rough, it was Minori, she was moved but she leaned into the aggressive touch. It would not have been her warrior queen without a little pain, tears fell faster and her vision blurred to the point she had to close her watery gaze. "I'm sorry, I am so sorry minmin." she sobbed into her dark fur, nuzzling roughly against her. "It's all my fault and I am so sorry.. I'll fix it..I wont leave just.. please.." She begged, pleaded with the woman she wished to could give the world even though she had no power.

"i love you"

Pushing her face harder into Takara's fur until she couldn't see, Minori cried silently. For everything that was lost she finally felt it, after so long pushing quietly through she knew she was broken and lonely. Hearing Takara cry with her she licked softly at the brown the along her neck, kissing sweetly to try and comfort the woman and also herself. It felt so damn good to be held and to have someone to hold again that the tears spilled hot and uncontrolled from her eyes. It stung to hear Takara take all the blame even though it's what she'd originally wanted in her anger and she whined "No..Not all of it.." there wasn't much comfort in that but she moved past it only wanting to focus on the promise that she'd stay this time and then-

"I love you" 

Ears falling to her skull she felt the weight of the entire world pressing down on her. All she wanted to do was say the words back and rush her home but they caught in her throat leaving a few moment's pause before she murmured "I love you too" because it was true even though for the moment she wasn't entirely sure it would do her any good "lets go home" she said and pulled back, offering a more hopeful smile and a sway of her tail.

she did not hear that her warrior queen was trying to take some of the blame off of her, she was too far gone inside her own head. this was her mess, this was her fault. it seemed to loop over and over again, showing her everything she could have avoided. it was a vicious form of self loathing, a destructive cycle of depression that clawed at her and tore down her mind.

I love you too

wait? she did? after everything she did to you, she was still loved? how could that be, how could she think to love a woman like her? the bard shook her head as if in denial just as the dark woman pulled back, her absence was felt immediately. the lose of her warmth left her shivering, how far had she fallen this time? 

lets go home

they had a home, she had a home? dumbfounded she gave a weak smile and a sad shake of her tail and she nodded. how could she respond, should she respond?

Pools of blue looked at her shocked and that was the last it took to make her lower her defenses. Pressing to Takara's side she began to guide her back toward the island nuzzling silently against her occasionally. On the trip she would tell Takara of her reunion with Orochi and how she'd tracked him to Yuèlóng before he vanished. Nothing was said about this year's season for she had no idea that there was two small little squigs growing in her womb.

she didn't need to respond, actions always spoke louder than words. she had proved that but how would minori still love her, how could she still want her around? this confusee takara into a silence that remained until the stories of her little dragon came, she was sad she would not see him but she doubted he would want to. she began to speak about the couple that had taken her in, how generous they were. she left out this year's season as well, no need to make her hate herself more.