Angier's large ears rose atop his skull, attentively pointing skyward as he hung onto every syllable of her words. She stuttered, then shook her head and he wagged his tail in response. If she needed time to compose her sentences, there was no doubt that he would calmly wait until she straightened everything out in her mind. His eyes continued to study her as she sighed and adjusted her stance. "How... are you doing..?" she asked. His smile broadened and he answered her quietly, keeping his answer brief as not to hinder her from sharing what she had initially wanted to say."I'm fine... now."

Her voice filled the air again with a question and he lowered his head to level it with hers before tilting it in inquisitiveness. Truthfully, a part of him thought that she never would have asked; the other part, however, burst into fireworks within him. It also spurred a few butterflies to take flight from his chest and flutter wildly in his stomach. It seemed like it was his turn to stutter. "I-I…" He turned his head away as bashfulness began to get the best of him. "I-I just want to make sure you're all right," he began. "After all you've been through, just... excuse me if I cross any lines but... I want to take care of you. He…" He almost choked on the word that clearly meant to blame his brother for his carelessness, and had to clear his throat. When he resumed, he slowly brought his pale gold eyes back to her face. His voice became even as he voiced his sentiment, "He shouldn't have done what he did... You deserve so much more, so much better."

"What..happened to me was not because of anything Borden did.. From the beginning it was my own decisions.. the words I chose to say, the actions I chose to do.. N..None of it was his fault. Not really," she voiced. He swallowed, he probably looked foolish to her now. But still, his eyes pleaded. The least Borden could have done was to prevent the outbreak or whatever had caused Vlarindara to hurt... to suffer. With an ego as large as his, he should have easily put a stop to the incidents. His ears lowered as she paused briefly. Well, maybe he should have done something come to think of it.

He kept quiet, his patience evidently layered thick on every part of his body by the way he stood still with his eyes trained on her every facial expression and weight shift. She had his full attention. He held his breath as Vlarindara moved her nose close to his neck; his brows creased as she admitted to making a mistake, almost mumbling into what was left of his winter coat. "But I won't..make the same mistake again," she added. He let out a small sigh of relief. It gave him a sense that things would get better for her.

Her voice rose again and as he gently leaned into her, he eyed one end of the waterway, listening while he tried to see if he find a spot that looked easy to scale. She might need his help, no doubt, and he could only hope the freshly dampened earth on either side of them would not slip under their - or, rather, his - weight as he climbed alongside her. She withdrew from him and he turned to look back into her mismatched eyes. His faint smile was still there, it had just been suppressed by his concern over how they were going to get out. Go on, his eyes implored her again, the triangular points on either side of his head lifting again to show that he was paying attention. Vlardinara revealed that he was the one constant thing in her life, that she had been curious about him... that even though she learned he and Borden were related her interest never gave way. In fact, it had only pulled at her more, just enough for her to confess to liking him. Loving him. However, she did not yet know what love really meant. Either way, no matter what the word might have sparked within him, she would not venture into the next chapter of their life together without simply saying it.

He beamed at her as if he had been tickled or given the happiest news on the face of the earth. In fact, he had been rendered speechless... With his usually compliant personality and the rivalry with all three of his brothers, he had been led on by his uncle that love was not in the cards for him. Only until now did it occur to him that not everyone had a life like his uncle, who had bound himself to his brother's pack by the unrequited love he held for his leading lady. No, with Vlarindara, this love would be different. Maybe the feelings would be given and received on both ends. Maybe it actually wouldn't matter if they couldn't have a family of their own; he would suffer his leaders' strict scoldings every spring to defend her but voice that he had no intention of challenging his lordship's reign. He would just be there to love her and her alone. And, just, maybe, it would be enough.

His eyes welled up as if something had accidentally blown into them. He blinked, trying hard to recompose himself before her. A part of him wanted to blame his moschate pelt and the hormones in the air... but in the end, he found he couldn't. It ultimately made everything make sense for once. That his wanderlust had been triggered by finding someone or something... and the sensation of feeling at peace with her could only denote that his search had ended. That he had found her. "Vlari, I..." nervousness crept into his words. But what was there to be nervous about? That she wouldn't return his words? He had to remind himself that he was on the receiving end of it all. "I l-love you too," he stammered, slowly pressing his wet nose to hers. "There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you since we met." His gaze raptly bore into hers, as if he were almost afraid of what she might say or do as a reaction.

"So what?" he questioned, his tone of voice still warm and nonchalant. "I only owe them a few favors. I won't stay with them forever..." Another smile slinked along his muzzle, and again it was pulled downward. She told him that she didn't want to cause any trouble. He shook his head as if to ridicule her,"You don't and you won't..." Vlarindara moved to lay her chin over one of his shoulders. In turn, he graze his lips over her thin pelt. "You don't hurt anyone," he tried to comfort her and somewhat make her take back her words. "Even if you do, wounds do heal if given the time."

"Tell you what," he started again, tilting his head so he could meet her gaze out of the corner of his eye."Maybe in a little while we can be together. But, first, you need to heal... to get better. Please... Take care of yourself for me.... For us. I wish things hadn't taken such a downturn for you, but there is time to repair what time has done. I, myself, have to tend to things I've put aside." He grimaced and took a step back to look her solemnly in the eyes. "I know you don't want to leave, and I don't either, but there are things we must do... time we must sacrifice in order for us to be truly together. If we can spend the other half of a lifetime with each other, wouldn't you agree that a few months in comparison is a simply a little more than a blink of an eye?"

Angier planted a kiss to the space above her brow. "When the time is right, I will find you. I promise you that. I will find you. Nothing will keep me from you then." His eyes flickered to the sides of the trench and he cracked another grin, "Not nature's fury nor pack ties... not even a ditch." He waited to see how she would take it all in, then after a while he proffered, "Are you all right on your feet? Whatcha think about getting out of here?"