Shadewylf

27 - Son

A comforting warmth settled over Lexi, gently easing her away from sleep's embrace. Her snout curved in a faint smile as she gradually unfurled herself, letting the brush of the fire's soft heat relax her tensed muscles.

She couldn't remember why they ached so much. They didn't usually get that much usage. Had she injured herself the day before?

"Morning, Lexi," whispered a familar voice from right beside her ear, even softer than the fire's crackle. Lexi felt a snout touch hers, and she nuzzled back, content that this was the best way to be awoken.

Then she opened her eyes, and her smile fell.

Her mother stared back at her, eyes sparkling with joy, her brown fur like the bark of a lean tree. But the sight no longer brought Lexi joy. She remembered the concern widening those eyes, and the tears that had stained that fur in damp streaks that traced the sides of her snout. So many tears. The cries of how much Lexi worried them, and how thoughtless she'd been, and how she should never, ever leave again.

"I'm sorry," Lexi told her mother, her tone quiet but heavy with meaning. "I'm so sorry."

They folded over one another, curling into a tight embrace. Lexi felt a wet trail slide down her snout, and she let it fall. It was a tear of relief, and of sorrow, and of guilt.

The comfort she should have felt to feel her mother's warmth was marred by the bittersweet nature of it all. Her parents were the most important thing in the world, more so even than her best friend. They'd cared for her all her life. And instead of gratitude, she had left them in the middle of the night, with not a word or even a note left behind.

They didn't have to tell her all of that. Lexi knew already.

Not only that, but she hadn't returned for days, taking it upon herself to go off on an adventure she had no part in. She'd put herself in danger, gone against the officials of her own town, and nearly gotten herself killed on multiple occasions. All the while leaving her parents worried sick, not knowing whether she was dead or alive.

"I'm sorry," Lexi said again, the words now muffled as she spoke them into her mother's fur.

Eventually, she was forced out of the embrace. Her snout was now damp, her vision blurred. Reaching up, her mother swept a paw across her snout, wiping the worst of the tears away.

"Hush," her mother said. "None of that. You're back with us now, and that's what matters."

A small smile broke through Lexi's sorrow. It was swallowed again in an instant by the lump in her throat, but it lingered long enough to be visible.

All of this was for Toivo. She reminded herself of that firmly. Right from the very first time she'd stepped out of the door and slipped into the night, it had all been for Toivo.

And I'm going to save him. Even if it does mean leaving again. I have to.

Slowly, shakily, she climbed to her paws, still partically leaning against her mother. All of this should have been done the previous night, but she'd collapsed only minutes after she'd stumbled through the door. She hadn't had the energy to say a word against all their yells of worry. But now she did, and she was determined to make things right.

Her father approached from behind, taking over from her mother in curling around her. She nestled into him for a moment before pulling away, her gaze flicking between her parents as she fought back another round of tears.

"He's not evil," she whispered. She didn't need to name him. They both knew who she meant. "He's just the same, he really is." Pausing, she swallowed hard, ordering whatever was blocking her throat to subside. "That's why I had to go after him."