Dead Empress Backwater we drink to the dregs

@Viorel -- Set within a day of Eros telling Seri that his father has died

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

A hollow and numb feeling had settled over him for the past couple hours, and there wasn’t much that even his best friend had been able to do in order to help ease the passing pains that radiated from his chest… and yet, with it all, he knew nothing was wrong, at least not physically… so much else was wrong, but at the very least he knew he would not collapse in the next five minutes convulsing.

No, this was a different kind of pain, one of remembrance rather than one of warning… it was the kind of pain that nothing could truly ease because that which caused it was so external and touched the body in deeper and more mental ways… it was death, and the loss and grief and guilt that came with it. Seri had been the son to not return home; he’d had only a pawful of interactions with his father, both of them dancing around each other… and now, he would never have a chance to build the bridge that his mother had burned long before he was born.

Now it was too late, and Seri was left with an aching regret… and despite it all, it hurt more to know that Al had still cared for him, maybe even loved him, despite the borderline estranged nature of their relationship. Perhaps that was why he dragged his paws towards where he knew he might find their esteemed leader, clearing his throat softly when he saw him, his eyes still watering tearfully though he hadn’t let them fall. His voice cracked softly. “Mr. Viorel, sir?” Honestly, it became something of a miracle that he had kept it together as well as he had for even that.

There was a heaviness that had settled down on the Backwater with the news of Aleister’s passing. He had touched so many, and now with so many of his children gathered here Viorel was not entirely sure what to do to make the situation any better. Instead he had thrown himself into what he knew and the busy work that would keep the pack going while the others grieved. It was almost absent-mindedly that he walked the borders, rubbing his sides against boughs of trees, marking with urine, following any strange scents he might come across.

The cracking voice shook him back out of his thoughts and Viorel came to an immediate halt. Eyes scanned the area around him, seeking out Seri’s form and softening as soon as he saw the teen. Closing the space between them he offered only a soft smile, ”Seri you can just call me Viorel or Vi, no need to be so formal.” Then after letting out a slow breath he said the only thing he could think of, ”I’m so sorry for your loss, your father was a good man who was loved by many.” If it were different circumstances he might have teased that he also did his fair share of loving with the women, but knew that was inappropriate.

There must have been a reason that the yearling was coming to seek him out, but the leader didn’t want to rush him. He would talk about it when he was ready.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

It was an overwhelming feeling to be embraced with, the loss as it ached and pulled at him. He found himself full of regret for not having visited before he had passed… how was he supposed to forgive himself for that? He had turned his back on him when he had needed him most! He was the worst son… the word child of Aleister’s many… he barely even knew his siblings. Despite her presence, he had never gotten to know Kateri… he had known of only Stella, and even then their encounter had been brief, passing.

Viorel’s attention turned towards him, and he felt the edges of his maw quiver lightly as he informed him that he not be so formal. It had been reinforced, and Seri wasn’t sure if he could change the behavior at this point… much less right away. “I… I never really knew him.” Even as he stated it, the emotions served as torrents through his eyes, his voice cracking and it showed that it really did not matter how close he had been with his father. “You knew him better than I did.”

He blamed his mother for it.

“I… I was hoping for some leave.” He admitted softly, looking at his paws as he spoke. “To go to the Cove… to visit… the grave…” Each word was a struggle to get out.

The Valle man gave a sad, soft sort of smile when Seri mentioned that Viorel had probably known Aleister better than his own son. It may have been true, and that fact alone left a deep, haunting feeling in his belly. He could only offer, ”I only met with him a pawful of times, but he was always full of life. I meant to make it up the mountain to visit but never….” He trailed off, lost in thought for just a moment.

Seri’s request brought the light back into the yellow eyes as the leader got brought back to the moment. Sympathetically he nodded, ”Of course you can go, but I would feel more comfortable if you took someone to travel with you. I know the trip can be treacherous.” Last thing they needed was to end up with an injured yearling, or worse.

Then he thought best to add, ”But you know you’ll have to be back in two or three weeks, or else we’ll have to start looking for you, understand?” His own mate and co-leader had only been gone for a few days, maybe a week at this point. They couldn’t just have all of the pack running around willy nilly without any return date.