Shoddy Patchwork

sah Sah had faked being okay in front of his daughter by joining in on the snowball fight as soon as he got back to Halo, but he could feel the cracks in his composure breaking again. When it was late, and he was sure his pups were asleep, he threw on his shoes and left. Pad stayed behind to guard their home while Sah sent Lilly ahead to quietly get Noah's attention via Eira and Vi'adore. The Wild Thunder didn't want to wake the twins or Cordelia for this. A large part of him wanted to seek out his cousin's comfort, but Sah didn't want to burden her with this and make her worry. Noah would understand. Hopefully. The Wild Thunder had certainly gone to him for advice before. When he arrived, the Abandoned gently knocked on the door to alert only those standing at the front entrance. Sah felt bad for showing up in the middle of the night, but he didn't know what to do. His mind was racing, lightning echoing behind his eyes and the sound of Melita falling repeating in his ears. He needed to pull himself together so that he could pretend to be okay in the morning when Soleil and Luka woke up.

Not all that is fractured is broken

your scars shine like dark stars
your wounds are where the light shines through

Noah was alerted to Sah's presence before his knock on the door. Eira, a nocturnal hunter by nature, had sent a mental ping to her bonded. Thus, Noah was ready when the Wild thunder arrived. Noah opened the door and greeted Sah with a smile, inviting him in from the cold (even if he wasn't affected).

Inside the lodge, Cordelia and the twins were fast asleep in the private wing. The hearth was alive and roaring with a brilliant fire, heating each corner to a comfortable temperature. A kettle of water hung on a cast iron bar, warming for them to have either coffee or tea. He couldn't decide which would be more necessary, so he grabbed both.

"Are you okay?" Noah finally asked, motioning for Sah to pick a spot to sit as he settled in his own ursur leather chair.

the forsaken

let's go there, to that place where
we sing these broken prayers, where the light shines through

sah Sah managed to give Noah a thankful look as he was easily invited in. It was a little funny that he'd found himself by the man's side at a crucial life point yet again. The other hunter had been a rock for him since his first season in Caido. The Abandoned could only hope that Noah got something equally valuable out of his friendship. Noah prepared refreshments and the Abandoned sat down robotically when prompted. Sah opened his mouth once before closing it again. It took another try before he finally slumped with a sigh, "I don't think I am." That opened the floodgates, and he roughly ran a hand through his hair. "I just can't stop seeing it...hearing it." The sound of his lightning, the crackling hiss, and then the damning thud. Sah's jaw audibly clenched, "I...the Tournament. Melita. Gods." His head dropped into his hands, palms pressing into his eyes, "I didn't mean to." He never wanted to be a murderer. But he had done it. Accidentally, yes. But he'd committed murder in front of nearly all of Caido. Against one of the Demi-gods even! ~ It took time but the two hunters spoke of their mutual trauma—the pain, fear, and guilt of killing another person. Survival and protection or pure accident, the result was the same. The jagged pieces of the memories were at least temporarily smoothed as the dawn began to rise once more.  -[FIN]

Not all that is fractured is broken