HOPELESS FOUNTAIN KINGDOM → TWILIGHT WOLF PACK

embry call

shhh pretend i didn't say anything but i'm lowlowlowkey working on an embry fic that probably won't be published for a while but it's in progress shhhhhhhh

just wanted to leave y'all with a little something while i was gone. hope u all enjoy. thank u for understanding & thank u for the condolences. love u.

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Waiting for the return of a loved one from battle was the most painful wait of your life.

Twelve hours. You had been curled up on Emily's couch, clinging onto Kim's hand while Emily swept and wiped down the spotless kitchen, Claire sound asleep in your lap. For twelve hours.

You didn't sleep last night. No matter how hard Embry tried to get you to close your eyes and rest, you refused. You didn't want to spend what could have been your last moments with him sleeping. Instead, the two of you held each other until Paul was at your window, throwing rocks at the glass while you held onto Embry for just a moment longer.

When the time came, you put on a brave face, letting Embry's hands fall from yours with grace, granting him one last kiss before he climbed out of your window with an unspoken promise of return. A promise you forced yourself not to take seriously.

Walking into Emily's house that morning, you scooped Claire up as she ran into your arms, holding her on your hip as you pressed a kiss to her curls. Sitting at the kitchen table was Rachel, bent over a psychology textbook. She only glanced up briefly to nod her greetings at you before returning to her studying. Kim was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the television and flipping through channels as though she was looking for something to watch.

"Take a seat," Emily said from her place at the stove. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

With Claire in one arm, you made your way over to Emily and wrapped her up in a hug, squeezing her gently. Each one of you was dealing with stress in your own ways. Rachel drowned herself in studying, Kim fried her brain with TV, and Emily cooked. Even little Claire was feeling uneasy, and became extra clingy as a result.

Now, everybody was silent. Claire's even breathing against your neck was calming, her childish face a mask of absolute calmness. You envied her, in a way. Oh, how you wished you could close your eyes and rest your troubled mind, bring relief to your weary bones. But you would not feel ease until you held Embry's warm palm, pulsing with life, in your own. And if that never happened again, then you would feel a deep uneasiness for the rest of your life.

When Billy Black and Old Quil arrived, tensions only rose. The once confident men were now silent and hushed, relishing in the company of those around them. Billy black held onto his daughters hand, his own fingers trembling lightly. Your heart ached for Rachel; not only did she have the love of her life to lose, but she was also at risk of losing her brother. The pain of losing Embry was too great for your imagination. You couldn't even begin to think of what Rachel's pain would feel like.

Nobody spoke, still. Old Quil was situated on the couch next to Kim, and Claire had decided to crawl onto the elder's lap, relocating her napping place. Her small, grubby hands grasped at his sweater and clung tight, her nose buried into the old man's shoulder. You were alone now, your feet picking you up and carrying you to the window, where you decided you would spend the remainder of the day. There was only a few hours left. You briefly wondered if anybody was going to come home at all, and quickly dismissed the thought. Someone was going to come home.

"Stop stressing yourself out." You looked behind you to see Billy, his eyes assessing the broad mass of land before you. "Waiting for somebody to walk out of those trees isn't going to do much for you. He survived once, he'll survive again."