don't be fooled by my size | return

Sunny? She didn’t know anyone by that name but she did remember talk of a Sundance whom had died and if memories served her well it was the same one that was here now. At one point she had lived here with a Sundance but her vague want to delve deeper into the past prevented her from actually thinking too far on it. Instead the female moved forward, graceful steps lingering lightly upon the ground as she came to look upon the creature who had called out toward the clan as a whole. “I don’t know you as well but perhaps others will recognize you. I’m assuming you are here to rejoin us?” She could smell the reek of Shadow Veil leaking off of her form and a slow curl of her muzzle pulled against sharp teeth. That wasn’t something she enjoyed specially when they were half baked enemies right now.

Sundance was a name he hadn't thought of in a long while. Whenever he saw Aurelio he supposed he thought of the femme unconsciously, seeing as how the younger male was her adopted son. He had been most shaken by her death, along with the rest of the clan, though not to the degree of the golden apprentice. The faint smell of the Veil had brought him to the border, to where Valaerya and Sundance - Minerva - stood. His eyes widened when he looked to her, shock apparent on his long features. Her return was definitely something he hadn't been expecting, and therefore, he had a difficult time believing it was even real at first. Rosemont approached so that he stood beside Valaerya, his tail wagging slightly as he peered down at the formerly named Sundance, a grin written on his lips. It was obvious why it had replaced the surprised expression that had been adorning his features before, even if they hadn't been the closest of individuals. "It's good to see ya back, Sun- Minerva. I'm sure Aurelio'll be glad to see ya," Rosemont greeted the femme in a pleasant manner, ears pricked forward and whiskey optics light as he peered at her.

^{YOU SAY YOU WANT A BAD WITCH, BABY, NOW YOU HAVE IT—}

^{Was Kady the only one who wasn't excited about Sundance- No... Minerva being back? The past is nothing but a blur to her, but what she does remember is that the female's death completely wrecked Aurelio. Kady finds herself caring far too much for the boy than she should, but who could blame her? He has been through a lot, with both his parents dying, and was becoming more aggressive with each day.}

^{So how would he handle his mother being back? Could one even consider her to be his mother if she's going by a different name? And why was she so casual about her return? If the roles were reversed then Kady would have been going nuts looking for her kids.}

^{Hell.. she still has hope that one day Yanyu would return.}

^{There were so many questions. So many answers she probably won't get, at least not for a while.}

^{So the most she could do is approach the female with a gentle smile. "It's good to see you back..." Kady missed her. That was the truth. She was a great addition to the clan and loosing her hurt like hell.}

^{She doesn't mention Aurelio though since Rosemont already decided to bring up his name.}

^{— NOW YOU'VE GOT A BAD WITCH, SHOW ME YOU CAN HANDLE THIS}

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He felt no happiness, no joy, only pure, hot anger.

The golden child approached, trembling as he looked the other over. It was Sundance all right, though she was apparently going by another name now. Minerva. Aurelio swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment. He remembered her death. Why was she here? Who was this, pretending to be someone that they weren't? Though the others seemed happy at the return of Sundance, he felt no happiness, only a hard pit in his stomach. "You're alive." Aurelio said flatly, dead eyes turned onto her. He had grieved for her. Hell, he was still grieving for her and for Yuuri. Did that mean she was alive, too? Had he been lied to this whole time?

"Why?" Aurelio asked, voice flat, refusing to let golden tears brim at his eyes. He would not cry over this. Not until he had answers. He would not trust Sundance - no, Minerva, until he knew what was going on.

^{YOU SAY YOU WANT A BAD WITCH, BABY, NOW YOU HAVE IT—}

^{She didn't want to step in. Not this early, but the saber felt protective of Aurelio in this situation. He most likely wouldn't appreciate her trying to help... Hell, he might just snap at her too, but as someone who has grown progressively closer to the male she'd prefer to try and ease him up just a little bit. So Kady moves to stand next to the other feline, even going as far as nudging him with her side. It wasn't an 'ease up on her' nudge. Really it didn't have a true meaning except for 'I'm here for you / Are you okay?'}

^{— NOW YOU'VE GOT A BAD WITCH, SHOW ME YOU CAN HANDLE THIS}

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Aurelio listened, ears flattened. He allowed Kady to come close and he felt more at home with her than he did with Sundance - Kady had been a reliable and welcome shoulder to cry on in the past few months. He cared deeply for Kady, and considered her family. In fact, he probably considered her family more than he did Sundance, at this point. "Yuuri. Where's Yuuri? Is she alive, too?" Aurelio asked, voice still flat. He wasn't going to give in to Sundance's tears, no, Minerva's tears. She had had plenty of time to come to Blizzardclan, to let him know that she was alive. Instead, she allowed him to grieve and cry and nearly kill himself because of it. Because he hadn't been there to stop Mingan.

"You should have told me sooner." He said, emotionless.

Oh, it was this Sundance. Her eyes closed for a moment, debating over memories that had passed and then she looked to Aurelio. She'd never seen him so emotionless and there had always been a fire deep in his eyes. Something she had never thought would be extinguished but maybe it was because this was very personal. The teen could understand that to a degree and she allowed her gaze to slip back to Sundance for a mere moment. For some reason she didn't like the fact that Aurelio sounded that way. Always used to his antics now and a feeling was sweeping over her. Flaring up her wings a bit the medic trainee would move forward to stand at Aurelio's side and she leaned down slightly attempting to mutter gently in his ear so that no one else could hear her. "Be careful if you choose to let her back into your life. It may hurt again." It was simple advice and so he could take it either way he wanted to as she took a step back from him although she didn't necessarily want to. Instead the female turned to look at those that had gathered before she turned away from the scene, pausing for just the barest of moments to look over her shoulder.

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Aurelio looked at Valaerya, surprised. He had never known her to sound so caring, and it touched him. A feeling of gratitude swept over him - Valaerya understood. The others wouldn't like she did. He swallowed hard and nodded to her, turning back to face Minerva. It was crippling to hear that both his mothers were alive when he had mourned so heavily over them both. It felt like he had wasted time, had wasted caring, so much of his soul on two people that he was supposed to trust. How could he trust them now that he knew they had been alive the whole time? How could he trust them when they had caused him so much pain and grief? The child wasn't sure and he closed his eyes, breathing shakily.

"I tried to kill myself, you know." Aurelio blurted, staring at Minerva. He wanted her to feel the same pain that he did. "Because you and Yuuri were gone, and because I was alone. Don't you know what it's like to have people leave you again and again and again?" Aurelio asked, voice tight, choking out the words. Golden tears brimmed at his eyes but he blinked rapidly, refusing to let them fall. He wasn't a child anymore. He was growing and this was all just a part of what life had planned. "Whose to say you won't just leave again?" He added bitterly, Valaerya's words ringing in his head.

^{YOU SAY YOU WANT A BAD WITCH, BABY, NOW YOU HAVE IT—}

^{Has he been doing alright? Kady knows this isn't something she should step into. Val was even doing the right thing by keeping her commentary private. She couldn't catch onto what the other girl said, but it must have been important.}

^{To ask something like that though.. to pretend everything could be picked up right where it left off... It was ignorant and it made Kady furious. Perhaps the feelings stemmed from her love for Aurelio. The boy deserves nothing but the best in life, and here he was. Struggling. Hurting.}

^{She had found him when he was teetering on the edge of the territory, ready to throw himself over the edge.}

^{She was shocked and couldn't move her goddamn body to push him away. Instead Narukami took charge and for that she was grateful. But she regrets her decision. Why couldn't she risk her life for his? Why wasn't she brave enough to knock him away? She's familiar with pain. She was in a similar place and was nearly successful with her death.}

^{So when Aurelio brings up his own attempt it really strikes a nerve inside of her. She's uncomfortable, but she stands her ground. Next to the boy to show that she was there for him no matter what. Because in the end, isn't that what everyone needs? Just to be shown some love?}

^{— NOW YOU'VE GOT A BAD WITCH, SHOW ME YOU CAN HANDLE THIS}

^{IM JUST A FULL TANK AWAY FROM FREEDOM —}

^{Leif had been observing the commotion from a distance for some time now, but couldn't muster the energy to jump into the fray. So Sundance was back.. She couldn't say she was particularly glad. In one respect, she didn't really know the girl before her "death", and felt more grief for Aurelio than anything at the time it. To Leifsdottir, Sundance was simply their medic, taken from them in n untimely fashion. She wasn't a friend, nor did Leif have any connection with her whatsoever. Life went on after he death, just as it did anyone else's. Aurelio grieved. Blizzardclan mourned, but found a new medic. Leif's world kept turning. It was poor Aurelio that she felt bad for. The boy, which resembled her own younger brother in many aspects, had lost both parents in such a short time, and took it hard. Anyone could see that. So for Sundance, or rather Minerva, to come back, but leave for the Shadow Veil - their enemies? Without telling her own son? Irredeemable. Leifsdottir simply padded away, having seen quite enough. She didn't want to see Aurelio cry, and she certainly didn't want to hear the former medics excuses.}

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^{tags + plot.}

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It was when Minerva walked away that he shuddered, tears falling. He sniffled and quickly wiped them away, not wanting the others to see how the situation had affected him. If Minerva and Buttercreamfrosting had truly cared about him, they would have told him. Aurelio knew that the next while would be terrible, and he knew that he didn’t want to be here for it. He sat for the first time, eyes fixated on the ground, trembling lightly.

He didn’t want to speak to Minerva anymore. She was a traitor - she had been in the Veil. She hurt him, her and Butter, and he couldn’t forgive her. Not yet, at least. He didn’t want to become bitter over the situation but he already was, teeth clenched. What was the point anymore? His training to fight Mingan? To protect his clanmates? What was the point? He had done it all for Minerva, and for Butter. The teen looks around with wide eyes, at Kady and Rosemont, at Valaerya. He’s almost daring them to say something - to mock his tears. He knew Valaerya might, and the thought hurt him. He watched Leif walk away and he swallowed hard.

Everything was a blur.

If it was one thing she wouldn’t mock someone for was crying tears that involved the festering wounds of family. Family was always a touchy subject for the princess and her own heartache and pain had come from the abandonment of her family. Namely her mother who others had spoken to her about when she had returned. They had told her that she had been worried about her and her sisters but she wouldn’t believe something like that. If she had cared so much then she would not have left children that were not even apprentice aged yet alone to fend for themselves to begin with. No, she would not lock this pain for she had felt it long ago and she would not see Aurelio in this state. Not because of a foolish woman who couldn’t keep her own family together as she should have. Just with her disowning Irene as a true mother she wondered if Aurelio would do the same. Flicking her tail idly the teen moved forward with ease and she attempted to brush her form up against the other’s gently. “Come to my house for tea. It’ll help and make you feel better after....this mess.”

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Aurelio looked at the other, gratitude in his eyes. He didn’t know where this side of Valaerya was all along, but he really liked it.

”Okay. That sounds nice.” Aurelio said shakily, standing and looking around. He said nothing to the others, only kept his head down and waited for Valaerya to lead him away.

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