Wheeling Gull Isle Sip your wine you drink with fools

She hadn't answered any of his howls, and he hadn't found another sign since the older ones on the beach. He'd hoped she'd gone to the mainland but the area near the crossing was free of her scent. How long had it been? A day? Two? Three? He wasn't sure, but again he wasn't eating, fretting between protecting his remaining children and trying to find her -- trying to convince them that it would be fine, that Aibreann would be back (okay Caerus probably didn't care, but Aibreann's children definitely did).

How could this keep happening? Had she left him or did something happen? He didn't know every danger of the island. But she also couldn't really hide. At least not to this degree. He was afraid -- it was probably fairly palpable, running through every vein as he curled his path inwards trying to find where she'd gone. The shore had no answers, so he hoped the more forested inner area would. He doubted, though. Another hoarse howl, desperate but starting to lose hope. It was a goddamn island. She couldn't just disappear, but apparently she did.

This was one way to push Cam's death out of his mind, but at some point that would come crashing back down on him as well.

Huā was an empty shell. Her children had gone to meet Ying and her heat had not come and though she had wished to be a comfort to him instead Mal's sadness rubbed off on her in a way. And even with him there, without her children's presence she was lonely. When Aibreann and Mal had been together on the island she had left them alone being on good standing with Aibreann but not familiar yet and feeling uncomfortable intruding on their togetherness if not invited, but when the small woman went missing the empress regretted that she had not tried to be more friendly and outgoing. The briefest thought crossed her mind that she had left because of Huā in some way but the mermaid recognized that her brain was simply trying to blame herself, to look for reasons to tear herself down and she shooed those ideas away quickly before they could consume her. 

She caught up to Mal as he let out his latest howl, too tired to move in any frantic or speedy manner but wanting to be at his side nevertheless and nudging his shoulder, not so much affectionate as simply letting him know she was at his side to help or if he had words to release. She didn't know if he needed her love but she wasn't sure if it was right to distract him from his missing mate with warm affection, and sometimes a friend was a better thing to have. She couldn't read his mind or know the perfect way to help and she wished she knew but she couldn't force him to explain or even know either. Sometimes there wasn't a solution. Sometimes felt like alltimes now and the past many months were just blow after blow to him or her or both of them and she wished she was a gull to fly away from it all. Or she wished she could smash her skull onto a rock and get rid of all the bad memories and all the hurt. 

She let out a howl for Aibreann too and then pressed her nose to the earth, knowing it was useless because Mal would've detected her anyway if her scent was here already but wanting to at least try and offer help however she could. When you last talked was she feeling upset, did she seem like that? Did she seem distant? She was sorry to imply that Aibreann would purposefully leave him behind after he had suffered so much already, but the empress didn't know what could've happened. The most she could wish was that the woman was safe, wherever she had gone.

Now he was broken. But once he spotted Hua, he veered over to meet her -- and though she might have been tired, he was a ball of exhausted anxiety, practically trying to glue himself to her side, licking at her jaw, whining. She wouldn't leave, right? She couldn't. No, no. He was desperate. He couldn't lose anyone else. He was terrified of it -- which probably did make him annoying and clingy. But Aibreann was gone. He'd always done what she asked and she was just gone without a word. Without a reason. Something had to have gone wrong. If she had decided the island wasn't safe because of Cam's death, shouldn't she have said something? Insisted on bringing the children? And Mal himself?

But Hua was here. He was supposed to be here to help her -- or so he'd been saying to everyone -- but here she was trying to help him instead. It wasn't what was supposed to be happening, but he wasn't sure how to flip the tables, let alone how to show his appreciation right now. What could he have done differently? On both fronts... 

His voice was rough, somewhat whispered, A little. She didn't say anything was wrong. I thought maybe she was looking for herbs. That had seemed more normal. It wasn't like they had infants to watch over. It was good to not be sulking, too. This was supposed to be safe, I don't know where she went. But please, don't go too.