And he hated himself, for being upset: for being a coward, for being so damn anxious around people, for not being able to rejoice in Wessex being alive, for.. for.. for damn everything, his eyelids pressed tight over his eyes yet failing to keep his tears contained. They burned the corners of his eyes, hot and shameful, freezing on his cheeks in the bitter wind.
Before Talys had the chance to tire of his clinging he heard a familiar whine, a low keening that had him opening his eyes and looking just in time to see the white creature drop out of Talys's saddle and into the snow. And.. disappearing into the snow. Rory's gut reaction was to kneel down and pick the fox up, but before he had the time to do more than just lean forward it popped back out of the snow, hopping over to press against his legs.
Rory made a muffled sound and and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of a still ungloved hand, before squatting down in front of his friend.
How to explain all this..?
He reached out, wanting to cup the fox's face in his hands and peer into its eyes, but it felt like a transgression of some kind, like holding him in any way was not (yet?) allowed. So he merely tried to stroke those fluffy cheeks and ears, and scratch along his jaw.
"Gods, I'm pathetic," he finally got out after a little while, his voice thicker than usual, still hindered by the tears his body wanted to shed, but he swallowed them. "I'd.. I'd not expected Remi to have invited half the town, and—" He bit his lips, frowning, blinking away the tears again. "They were all going on about how we should kill the Spire's guardian, and then—then—" He shook his head, before sitting back on his heels in the snow, hands falling into his lap. "Wessex strides in all dramatically, and for a moment I thought I'd been such an idiot, that I'd just stood there and told everyone she died when.." He trailed off again. It was dangerous, talking to this fox; easy to forget he wasn't just talking to a polite animal, but someone who might very well understand absolutely everything.
"She did die, though," he finally said, voice quiet. "She doesn't know how she came back, but she's Ascended, so that might explain some of it..."
Before Talys had the chance to tire of his clinging he heard a familiar whine, a low keening that had him opening his eyes and looking just in time to see the white creature drop out of Talys's saddle and into the snow. And.. disappearing into the snow. Rory's gut reaction was to kneel down and pick the fox up, but before he had the time to do more than just lean forward it popped back out of the snow, hopping over to press against his legs.
Rory made a muffled sound and and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of a still ungloved hand, before squatting down in front of his friend.
How to explain all this..?
He reached out, wanting to cup the fox's face in his hands and peer into its eyes, but it felt like a transgression of some kind, like holding him in any way was not (yet?) allowed. So he merely tried to stroke those fluffy cheeks and ears, and scratch along his jaw.
"Gods, I'm pathetic," he finally got out after a little while, his voice thicker than usual, still hindered by the tears his body wanted to shed, but he swallowed them. "I'd.. I'd not expected Remi to have invited half the town, and—" He bit his lips, frowning, blinking away the tears again. "They were all going on about how we should kill the Spire's guardian, and then—then—" He shook his head, before sitting back on his heels in the snow, hands falling into his lap. "Wessex strides in all dramatically, and for a moment I thought I'd been such an idiot, that I'd just stood there and told everyone she died when.." He trailed off again. It was dangerous, talking to this fox; easy to forget he wasn't just talking to a polite animal, but someone who might very well understand absolutely everything.
"She did die, though," he finally said, voice quiet. "She doesn't know how she came back, but she's Ascended, so that might explain some of it..."
