“I have never felt so angry at anyone as I did in that moment” Oh, Lorcan didn’t doubt it.
The agouti male listened with sympathy as Inna spoke of the grief his leaving would cause their mother. His golden gaze drifted down at stare at his paws, his thoughts suddenly returning to his own mother whom he had left behind along with the rest of his family. Did his mother despise him as Inna did her brother now? It pained him to even consider it. Blinking suddenly, his russet ears tilted to refocus back on the raven female.
“It can’t be easy for her, especially as it is not the first time that he’s done it..” He sighed, his sides heaving as he lifted his head to look back across to Inna’s deep orange gaze.
To his relief, Lorcan managed to avoid offending the young mother.
“It is a nice thought..” He agreed, a smile pulling at the corners of his charcoal lips as his golden eyes swept across the lavender that grew around her father’s grave. When Inna asked how that lavender hyssop had helped her during the birthing process Lorcan casually shook out his coat proudly, obliged to impress her with his knowledge.
“It is known to have a calming effect. Lachesis brought it to help calm your nerves during the labour.” He explained, nosing a single sprig of the tiny lilac coloured flowers delicately with his nose. A grin swiftly stole away his smile at Inna’s second question, finding her assumptions rather amusing.
“No, but I think it might be having an effect on her now..” He laughed, glancing back across to their daughter who was now snoozing soundly.
When Inna then went on to try and explain to him how the relationship between her and her brother had become so tainted, Lorcan quickly realised that it was
his actions which had pushed the siblings to breaking point. The guilt that filled his heart was almost too much to bare and the agouti male rose to his paws, half expecting to expel his meal at any moment. Inna was quick to rise to stand beside him and Lorcan clenched his jaws together tightly as she moved to brush her muzzle underneath his chin in an attempt to comfort him. He didn’t deserve her comfort. Not after all the trouble he had caused.
How could he not have realised it sooner?
Russet ears were pressed firmly back against the smooth curve of his skull as Inna did her best to try and persuade him that what transpired between her and Aleksei was not entirely his fault. The words that spilled from her ebony lips reached his ears, but a shield had been built up around his heart in the moment that he had turned away. He might have heard her words but he refused to believe them.
“Could you control that?” No.
“Could you stop it?” Yes.
His jaws clenched tighter, his golden eyes staring at the ground. Of course he could have stopped it. If he and Inna hadn’t spent that morning together up on Sunrise Ridge, the argument between her and her brother would never have happened and Inna and Kisla would have been spared the heartache of watching @
Aleksei leave their home for the third, and possibly final, time.
Next Inna did what so many did when faced with a difficult situation, in the same way that he was doing so now, she turned the blame on herself.
“You did not tear my family apart, it was me that did that, and it’s me that has to fix it.” His muzzle wrinkled in disregard. She was just saying that; she was just trying to make him feel better – and then she turned the blame on her brother. Pale brows furrowed as he spoke of how much Aleksei hated her, and not only that, hated their
daughter as well. His golden gaze finally flitted back across to the dark bundle of fur which lay lazily in the sun amongst the sprigs of lavender, watching as her tiny sides heaved with each sweet breath.
How could anyone hate her, hate their beautiful Oksana? Right now he might have wished that he had never spent that passionate morning with Inna up on Sunrise Ridge, but, he flat out refused to regret creating the little bundle of joy who slept soundly on her grandfather’s grave right now – as illegitimate and unplanned as she might be – she would
never be
unloved or
unwanted.
As he gazed across at Oksana, the kiss pressed to his cheek snapped him back from his thoughts. Whilst he was still convinced he was the one to blame, he did grow curious as to exactly what had been said between Inna and her brother that day when she had returned to Hearthwood. Maybe it would give some indication as to why he left.
“What did he say to you…before?” He said quietly, his voice coarse with guilt.
(This post was last modified: May 23, 2017, 08:58 AM by Lorcan.)
# P O R C A N
sometimes, two people have to fall apart to realise
how much they need to fall back together