Traitors Tor I'm sure I heard you sigh, floating in between where our worlds collide

Aleksei’s stomach was swirling, and his head was mimicking it. God, why couldn’t he just be selfish for once and decline to help? He could’ve lied, could’ve said he was busy, or that he had somewhere else to be! Why, oh why, did he have to constantly stick his nose into business that had nothing to do with him? Business that always ended up with him feeling like the dirty one no less. Next time he was faced with a shitty situation, he’d walk away. That’s what he told himself at least. No more corpses.

Her voice was what snapped him to attention. Aleksei lifted his head, looked at her as she gave her own name: Everly. Or that’s what she told him to call her. A name she’d picked for herself, then? Maybe it was just weird wording? Whatever, it didn’t really matter. This woman was whoever she said she was, and he’d respect that.

Instead, he gave a soft smile. “Everly, huh?” He paused for a moment, finally letting out a deep sigh, emptying his lungs of the bad air. He rolled his shoulders as he sheepishly chuckled (feeling a little embarrassed, now that his brain had caught up with what he’d just done), straightening himself out in the process. “I’m Aleksei. You know, you’re not the first Everly I’ve met.” He thought back to the sunshine girl, with her bright smile and get-up-and-go attitude. She was naturally charming, and despite their time together being extremely short, he found himself smitten with her cheer. She was so different to the wolf before him now. Then again, the name never really makes the person, does it? “She was here a few months or so ago, looking for her brother. Askan’s his name.”

Askan, the swarthy male who was the closest thing Aleksei had to a friend these days (even that was a stretch). Really, they should talk again some time. “Sorry, that’s irrelevant. Just—I dunno, I needed to get the dizziness out of my head, I suppose.” He paused, eyed her cautiously. “Are … are you okay?”

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

Aleksei. That was a name she would remember and hopefully for good reasons too. And yet-much to her horror and dismay- it seemed as though that wasn't to be. That the universe wasn't done with dredging up the past and throwing it in her face. At first she thought she misheard him, or at the very least it was just a coincidence. After all, it was such a pretty name...

But then he continued and her blood ran cold.

There was no mistaking it. This couldn't be a mere coincidence, what were the odds? Lenae used to believe in all sorts of mystical fairy tails, in the legends that surrounded her forefathers. But now she didn't even believe in the Gods, let alone fate or chance. This wasn't some heaven sent blessing, her ancestors weren't giving her the chance to reunite with one of the few family members she had left. No, this was the world being cruel, as though it was kicking her when she was already down.

The real Everly was gone, Lenae had no idea where, but the fact that Askan was here was a good thing! Or at least it should have been. If she had been stronger, she would have mustered the courage to seek him out, to take solace in his company like she used to. But now? The mere mention of his name was more than enough to make her shiver and shake as though she was caught in the middle of a snowstorm.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she struggled to breath.

No no no, she wasn't strong enough. She couldn't face him. Why why why was he here?  This wasn't right, it was wrong wrong wrong. And sick-or rather she felt sick, lightheaded and in pain. Her head hurt, her eyes ached and worst of all it felt as though Aleksei had just torn her heart out of her chest and stomped on it. Her frantic gaze flickered to the ground and she half expected to see it smeared with her blood.

Was she okay? That was laughable. She couldn't even remember what it felt like to be whole, not anymore.

"I...I can't-why? I have to...Go.Please."

Aleksei watched in horror as Everly’s resolve crumbled into pieces. It was as if he’d thrown a stone at a glass house, shattered it in one fell swoop. His mouth went dry and his eyes widened. He was speechless, bordering breathless, as she welled up, staring at the ground beneath her paws. What should he say? What should he do? He had no idea what he’d done wrong, had no idea why mentioning Everly and Askan had thrown her off. Did she know them? Was Everly even her real name? Was she just pretending?

She was freaked out, that much was clear, and Aleksei lifted a paw nervously. It hovered in the air, uncertain, before he tentatively placed it back on the ground. He couldn’t stop staring at her face. She was so sad, so scared. She stammered out her words and he could only frown deeply, ears pressing against his skull so that he wouldn’t scare her. “I won’t stop you,” he whispered, worried that if he spoke any louder she might actually fall apart. “But please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He was being sincere, and he hoped she understood that. He wouldn’t press. “If you need to leave, you can. But … well, if there’s anything I can do—get you something to eat, help you find water, just say.”

With his part said, he simply waited, tail low. He shrunk into himself, so that he’d appear less intimidating or daunting or whatever. He just wanted this girl—this strange, sad girl—to feel safe, be it in accepting his help or fleeing.

Let the roots & soil drink of me
Whispering leaves & pointing branches will tell them where I'm lying

Of course he hadn't intended to upset her, but he had done so nonetheless.

The past was supposed to stay just that, out of her head and behind her, where it could do no harm. And yet, once more it conspired to hurt her, to ruin her.It was almost incredible how much pain a few words could cause, how deep they could cut, right down to the bone. She wanted to sob, to scream at the sky, to curse and' proclaim haven't I been through enough?!'

Apparently not.

And she knew that if she was ever forced to face her remaining siblings she would just end up dragging them down with her. If they was still alive-which she wished with all her heart they were- it was best that they continued to live in ignorance. They didn't need to know about what had happened, nor the suffering those they had called family had gone through. It was Lenae's burden to bare and she would carry it alone. As much as she wanted to deny it, there was to more to it than that.

But oh, how she missed them. How lonely she was without them, it was crushing her slowly but surely, day by day. Just the mention of their names, the knowledge that this stranger she'd never met before knew them, had spoken to them and had quite possibly touched them. Well...It broke her heart into a million shards. If only she had the courage to do the same, to seek them out and speak the truth.

It was clear that Aleksei was trying to make amends, to right his wrongs and for that Lenae should have been grateful. But she wasn't. Sorry wasn't going to make the pain go away and food nor water was going to bring her loved ones back and erase months worth of trauma. It was all for naught really, Aleksei was wasting his breath.

And yet she wanted to stay, she wanted help. She felt like she was drowning, her nose just poking above the surface and all she wanted was for someone to grab the scruff of her neck and haul her out. But then her mind went to the dark place, where her fears lingered like spiders in cobwebs. What if he was bad? Wasn't she safer on her own? Wouldn't it be easier?

Lenae shook her head.

"I'm sorry Aleksei."

And with that she turned tail and ran as fast as her wobbly legs would allow.