It was fine. She was fine though she craved a drink more than she wanted to admit but she avoided turning at the bars back in Yorkshire and she wasn’t going to start drinking so close to home either. Heading home. Being there. That was more important than dealing with her own scars so poorly like when she was young. Chances are Khepri left to who knows where again and the children were being watched by someone within the manor, hopefully a relative over a servant. He knew she didn’t like using the hands to care for them since they needed love, not someone simply paid. Her paws came to a stop as she neared the wealthier sector of buildings, her gaze skimming over her old cage so close to the castle, brows pinching as she thought of her eldest. Maybe she should stop and visit Aurora as much as she didn’t want to touch that tower cobble. She wasn’t really sure which of her children mourned Nassar the most, but Aurora definitely had the most outward reaction to the news with potent tears and a vacancy in her gaze. The younger two, Sheik and Haskell more just seemed lost and down, perhaps because they didn’t fully understand death yet. In a way that was a gift to not have to meet that reality till they were so much older than her, but it was hardly a mercy. That single ember would trace the streets in the direction of the Tiamat manse, weighing her options of which would make her a proper mother. Too bad there were pros and cons with both. Before she could even come to a set choice, she caught the scent of a different child on the wind, though she didn’t see him, making panic set in. Her gaze darted around for the brown coat of her nephew, worried he might meet the same fate as her son. |
He didn't mean to cause concern for his family members, least of all his beloved aunt. He was still grappling with the death that had shaken the solid foundation of the Tiamat family to its core. No matter how the adults explained the events of the last few weeks, Mios could not cope with what his eyes had witnessed. The sting of smoke and ash still lingered in them, and inside the manse he swore he saw his grandmother's absence in every flickering torch and shadow upon the walls. As a result, he took to sleeping less and less in the house, finding solace in nature where life was both endlessly evolving and comfortingly constant. He'd always been drawn to the outdoors ever since his first day stepping out into the back garden, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise when they started finding him nestled in the embrace of ancient tree roots or sheltered beneath bushes still dripping with rain. Today was no different. Unaware of his Auntie Sif's proximity or despair, Mios was dozing in the curve of a massive oak tree's branch with his stumpy legs hanging off either side, almost scraping the earth. By the light dusting of white across his pelt, it was clear he'd been there for some time now. |
Happy moments rarely ever came her way, so why start expecting it now? As the clouds would begin to part, the sun would sneak past the cotton in the sky and cause a shadow to loom over her that at first, she had assumed was simply from a tree but when did trees grow long limbs? Ears flicked with mild amusement and heavy annoyance; she would hear the soft breathing of someone sleeping. That gentle in and out, far too slow for someone prowling up on her, making her swiftly accept that she wasn’t being hunted by the young boy. Turning on her heels, she would see a mound the size of her nephew but hardly the color of him as relief flooded her breast and her heart would slow in peace. Slowly moving towards him, she tilted her head in search for a face in those fallen frozen tears, seeing the darker hues of his mask underneath. Quietly, she would slink closer and closer until she reached the branch he was perched atop, guessing him to have been there for a few hours. There was hesitation to disturb him as she observed his chest rise and fall causing the snow to crack and smooth out over and over again. It was kind of mesmerizing and she found herself watching him sleep for probably an unhealthy amount of time, admittedly finding a sleeping child the best kind. It made her almost want to join him, but she wasn’t about to climb a tree and take a nap either. Had he been a certain old man husband of hers, she might have playfully buried her face against his or pushed him off but instead, she would not bother to go onto her hinds at all. Grabbing one of the last bits of foliage left, she would tug a leaf free before slipping under the branch he rested on, using the leaf to his paw pads to feel like a bug was crawling along them. Ever curious to see his reaction. Any heavy stirring that seemed like a bad reaction would cause her to stop, preferring to keep it harmless. |
There was no rousing from his aunt's presence or warm breath ghosting across his cheeks, but a smile did indicate a subconscious response, as if by coming near she had unknowingly warded off a bad dream. Even in slumber, Mios felt safe when Sif was nearby. Her protective embrace vanquished his fears when his parents were away and he felt confident enough to be carefree when he knew she was watching over him. That he could see how much his mother trusted her only intensified the attachment he felt for the golden-faced wolf, implicitly understanding that Xandria did not offer her loyalty to just anyone. But he did stir when he felt a tickle scurry up his limb. Within his dreams it became the familiar tickle of a beetle. Winter had diminished the time he could spend foraging for insects, most hidden away in the walls, so it wasn't long before those inherited eyes blinked open, searching for the culprit. Mios' disappointment that it was a leaf was curtailed quickly when he saw who the wielder was, plump tail thumping against the branch and sending a gentle powdering of collected snowflakes falling to the ground. |
Ears flicked, noticing the little shiver that seemed to take over his body and she would let out a little huff. They already lost enough kin; she didn't want to lose him to something entirely preventable. |