There's a hunger gripping my bones | return

[wormwood.]

It was almost like being stabbed, the sharp intake of breath that Viera took upon seeing him once again. Truly, Aurum wasn't sure whether it was from the sheer surprise of actually seeing him once again, or seeing him in his current state. He could only hope that it was the former, as he didn't wish to cause pain for anybody else through the scars that littered his body. He already knew how much it had hurt Moth when she had to treat his injuries, and how every day around him had been a grim reminder to Beck of the sins of his past. He didn't wish to put V in such a position as well, having wanted nothing but happiness for his mother since the day he had met her. Although back then she had not yet earned the title of mother within his mind, he could still tell her to be a kind person, and he had cared for her as he cared for all other tanglers. Unconditionally, and without limits, for they were all truly family within his mind. V had gone beyond that relatively simple connection, however. She had gotten through his rough exterior, made sharp and weary from years of receiving nothing but abuse from those he had once called family, and she had managed to become just that very thing. Even if he yearned to hate her – he didn't, oh no, he didn't – he knew he never would've even been able to.

Her explanation did seem silly, and it left a sort of faint, bitter taste in his mouth. Part of him wanted to yell, or cry, or do something just to express how much he had missed her, and how many emotions were roaring through his mind. However, he knew that nothing would truly be able to come close to expressing it all. So, he simply pushed forward, crossing the distance between them and pulling the older woman into his chest, her relatively small body clutched against the thick fluff of his mane. His voice was soft and choked up as he spoke, his one blue eye gleaming as it focused on the ground beneath them, "I appreciate the sentiment, however misguided. I'm... I'm glad. That you wanted to protect me. But like you said... no one can protect me except myself. And losing you... losing you wouldn't have been worth going the entire rest of my life without so much as a paper cut on the pad of my paw. You... you're my mother." He wasn't exaggerating when he spoke, having demonstrated time and time again that he was willing to give up life and limb for his family. He knew that was exactly what Viera had wanted him not to do, but he saw it as his decision, not hers to run from.

The male was going to speak again, his muzzle wearily cracking open, but then he heard a voice. Fenris. He didn't mind the other's intrusion, not really. After all, he and V were interacting publicly, and it wasn't as if he was being unkind. He found himself nodding along when he heard the hound, voice hoarse as he muttered to V, "He's right, you know. Family sticks together, through thick and thin. Through everything." He gently pressed his nose to the top of his mother's head, closing his eyes briefly. After a long moment of silence, he continued, "I don't want you to leave. You being here would never harm me, V. It would only make me stronger..." He could only hope she would truly hear his request, as he wasn't sure he could go through losing her, not again.

[glow=black,2,300]— ✘ —[/glow]