Storm felt... lost. Not in a physical sense, her chaotic arrival on the shores of Amaryllis had not felt like this. She'd felt sure in herself, despite the unfamiliarity around her. Now, Storm knew her surroundings, her home, but she felt unsure, like a log set adrift in the sea. It felt almost as though her mind floated above her body as she put one foot in front of the other.
She was going somewhere. She needed to feel safe again, sure again. Her mind raced desperately to find something to grasp on to.
Cubs. Her aching heart reminded her, feeling like it had been stabbed and twisted. The woman she had fallen head over heels for, who she had thought she would be satisfied wooing slowly over time, had cubs. Thella held another in her heart, a male. Storm could do nothing to open the woman's heart to her as more than a friend and it hurt more than any wound she had ever born.
Safe, she needed to find somewhere, someone safe. When, where, had she last felt most secure? What had she done the last time she'd felt so divided?
Then it dawned on her, and she realized where her path led. Her body seemed to have realized long before her mind. @Angelo would help her. He had done so before.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

Lucky for her, he was in his den but wasn't (for once) asleep. He was just laying in the entrance, having watched the little ones wander off for an adventure a while ago and waiting for them to get back. Which might be soon and might be hours, all things considered. They were under strict instructions to not leave the Hollow, though, so he wasn't worried about them. Instead, he was doing his best impression of a bear lion skin rug.

He could hear someone approaching, and so his tufted ears perked up with interest as he waited to see who was coming to visit. He didn't get a whole lot of visitors and the approaching pawsteps didn't sound like anyone who usually did come to stop by. If he'd been aware of what was going on with Thella then maybe he would have figured it out... but honestly probably not even then as he wouldn't have put together her pregnancy with the discussion he'd had a while ago, not unless he'd actually seen Storm's reaction. Which, obviously, he hadn't.

@Storm

Storm drew close to the den she sought out, @Angelo's scent heavy there, mingling with those of his friends and family. Her pace was irregular, just ever-so-slightly off beat. Her expression was almost blank, barely showing her vast inner turmoil.

"Angelo." Storm rasped out as she reached his den, her voice harsh from carrying too much emotion. Normally, she would apologize for intruding, but today that was far from her mind. "I don't know what to do." She told him, dropping to the ground close to him like a marionette who's strings have been cut. Her breathing, she realized, had grown ragged as the waves of emotion thrashed inside of her. "She loves someone else."

Storm didn't know if he remembered their conversation before, but it was a conversation she'd held on to tightly for the hope and reassurance it provided her. She needed his advice desperately now, more so than she had before. She needed a way to relieve the roaring pressure that threatened to swallow her whole.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

His ears drooped as @Storm appeared, her distress plain to see even for one who was as bad about reading the emotions of others as he was. As she flopped down before him he got up, moving so that he was facing the same direction as her so that when he lied down again he could surround her with his larger frame, because while he might not know the right things to say, he did know that having a shoulder to cry upon was much better than not having one. And he had such broad shoulders that could support many tears.

Well shit, he said, very intelligently. Back to that "didn't know the right things to say" bit. He was really proving it now. Especially since the next thing he wanted to do was ask if it was possible this mysterious woman might be able or willing to love multiple partners, but he knew that wasn't as common outside of the family and somehow that didn't seem like a good thing to ask. Giving false hope was bad.

I'm so sorry, he said instead, sincerely. He did feel so bad for her, especially as he suspected this was her first heartbreak, or one of her first. Those were always the hardest.

Storm felt @Angelo move to her side, his colossal form dwarfing hers. It made her feel small, like when she was a cub sitting beside her mother. She moved in closer until they were touching fur to fur, the warmth and closeness radiating a feeling of calm through her, a feeling of safety.
A cracking laugh bubbled up from her throat when he clearly had no idea what to say. She smiled briefly, but it fell when he began to apologize. "Don't. Don't apologize. You just wanted to help me." She tells him, turning her face towards his.
Their closeness spurred something within her emotional turmoil. She pressed her head into his side, tears she hadn't yet let fall dampened his fur. "Just, please don't go anywhere for a bit." Storm told him, her voice pleading. "I don't want to feel anything anymore." She mumbled into his fur.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

He had just wanted to help, but that wasn't what he was sorry for. He was sorry that things had gone this way for her, he was sorry that she had been so hurt, and he was really sorry that he didn't know if saying any of that would help or make things worse. Thankfully, she gave him an out, because he did know how to respond to what she said next.

I'm not going anywhere, he promised softly, curling his frame around her more as she buried her face in his fluff. He turned his head to rest gently on top of hers, a soft embrace as his tail coiled around her to rest over her. The least he could do was blot out the rest of the world for her for a little bit. He wished he could take her pain on for her, so that she wouldn't have to suffer, but there was no way he could think of to do so. But, he could be there for her while she went through it.

@Storm

If Storm had been thinking straight, things might have gone differently. She might have thought through the rational consequences of her actions. However, in the moment, all Storm could think was how nice it felt to be pressed against @Angelo, how his presence provided a shelter against the pain of her heartbreak.
She leaned into his warm embrace and pulled her head back to look directly into his red eyes that glittered with his sorrow for her, her own dewy with the tears that she'd cried. "I want to feel something else, something that doesn't hurt." She whispered hoarsely, nerves and rationality held back by the same wall that held back her pain. "Please, will you help me feel something good?" She asked him, leaning in so that their faces were a hair's breadth apart. It was an offer, a plead. Would he accept? Would it be better if he did or if he didn't? In this moment, she wasn't sure she could handle his rejection.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

His tufted ears perked up as she pulled back, listening to her intently as she spoke. Oh boy, well, he could think of one thing, but...

He pressed a gentle kiss to her nose as she leaned in, so close, so simple for him to take control of the situation. And he would, somewhat at least, moving to gently lick her cheek to wipe away the tears, to soothe and entice at the same time. I can... as long as you're sure, he murmured in her ear before returning to his tender ministrations. He knew she wasn't in a great mindset, and he simply didn't want her to regret her actions later, or feel like he'd taken advantage of her. Though there was every possibility that she would, he knew, regardless of what she said next. Could make things awkward, but he wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't want anything to do with him afterwards. It was her choice.

@Storm

Storm pressed into @Angelo's kiss and her heart throbbed, a new emotion she didn't understand pushing its way into her awareness, through the bubble that Angelo's presence created. This emotion didn't feel bad, however, so Storm leaned into. This was what she wanted right now, the relief she desperately sought.
Angelo asked her if she was sure, and she nodded as he licked her cheek. "Please. I trust you." She told him, her eyes wide and full of certainty. And she did trust him. She would willingly put herself into his paws and knew he would not hurt her.
She pushed her nose to his in a mirror to his earlier action, but less gentle than his. She needed this, she wanted this. Regrets could be handled later, and she wouldn't blame him for accepting her advances.

/fade to black?

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

He couldn't help the flutter of warmth that went through him as she said she trusted him. Okay, he murmured back after she'd kissed him, offering a warm smile. He'd had to be sure, a gentleman as much as he was an incorrigible flirt. Respect towards women had been ingrained in him from an early age, after all.

A low purr left him, rumbling through his frame as he shifted to crouch above her, nipping gently behind her ear teasingly. He was determined to make sure her trust and faith in him wasn't misplaced, focused entirely on her and how she was feeling. The least he could do, he figured, was provide warmth and comfort and a place to forget her pain, at least for a little while.

/fade

IC Spring:

Rolling SpringBreedingAttempt 1d50: 46
Your breeding attempt was successful! You may now submit your cub request in the maintenance forum.