William:
Will limped out of the trees that surrounded his lake, hurting inside and out with each step. He was bruised and bleeding, though his wounds were much smaller now and his bruises already in the later stages. But that didn't mean he still didn't hurt.
Because he did.
But what hurt the most was the pain within him, of having to leave Ariel, to take her home and leave her there. He had too many things to look after to go live with her, and she couldn't live trapped in his lonely little lake. She had friends and a life back there. He could give her nothing, nothing but his own gloomy company. The two didn't compare in the slightest.

He thought about going to his den, but the above-ground was just an empty little hovel and the one he had connected to his lake was... to full of thoughts of her. Ariel hadn't been able to go past the entrance. She hadn't seen all he had done, to the walls and to the thick roots that jutted out in places. He'd carved. Carved images of the forest and open meadows and under-water worlds. And in a piece of old, thick bark, he'd been carving her, on days when he just couldn't sleep.

No, he couldn't go there. So instead, he simply flopped down on the bank just a few steps from the drop-off, curling up in a ball. Maybe he would stay like this until sun-up and he would just burn away. Surely that would be better than the empty future he saw in front of him.

Melantha:
"Will!" Melantha admonished as she saw her brother lying on the bank. What did he think he was doing out there exposed that way? "Get up and get into some shelter, what if you fell asleep? You'd wake up crispy...or not at all." she frowned and nudged him. "Are you alright? do you...need me to find..something for you...eat?" She asked uncertainly knowing she had a bit better control after her own hunt.

William:
Will opened his eyes and looked up at his big sister. He tried to keep the pain from his eyes, but it was no good, really.
"Maybe that would be for the best, you know?" he asked, then shook his head before she could respond to that.
"I can't get it right, can I? They're either in love with someone else or... just don't want me enough to stay..." He placed his head back onto his paws and stared out over the moonlit water of the only thing he really had anymore. Yes, he had his sisters and parents, but... They were busy, had their own problems, it was understandable.

He watched as a frog hopped into the water at the far side of the lake, a larger one of the same type following eagerly after it.
"Do I really have that bad of taste... or am I just that much of a monster...?"

Melantha:
Melantha frowned and nudged her brother lovingly, "Don't say that Will, what would momma and poppa think if they heard you talk like that?" She growled "and Di's an angel but her silly sister is just a drunken fool, Anna's turned Lovett's lovely little shop into a place for her drunken revelries at night, she invites all sorts of awful predators to come and drink. She's so busy mooning over Drake that she wouldn't stop to look at any male no matter how wonderful he was. Besides you can't possibly still be in love with that coy little witch when you have Ariel? She really cares about you Will, why do you think she let you drink from her? She trusts you...you better go rest and recover...you'll feel better by tomorrow night." She nudged him again.

William:
Will moaned and grasped at his hair in frustration.
"I don't, Anna... god, she was too bright. It burned my eyes to look upon her, to be with her. But Ariel... she's wonderful, innocent, sweet, beautiful and her voice... But I can't keep her here, she'd hate it and she'd hate me for it. And I can't go with her, I have too many responsibilities here. I..." He paused to lay his face back onto his crossed paws, shaking his head back and fourth a bit.

"Just because she trusts me, doesn't mean it goes beyond that. I have to let her go, she needs to be with her friends, in the open river. Not here..."

Melantha:
Melantha sighed and shook her head "Well...she's here...so don't let her wake up to find a pile of Ash." She shook her head moving to leave before turning. "Oh...Connor sends his apologies...he thought that Ariel was a victim, I explained that she loves you enough to trust you with her life."

William:
Will jolted up, standing and whipping around to grab his sister by the shoulder.
"You brought her back here?? What the hell did you do that for?" he spat, angry that all the pain he'd gone through to take her home had been for naught. He would wake to find her here again and the ache in his heart would just continue to grow. Melantha was wrong, Ariel didn't love him, how could she? He'd kidnapped her and held her captive. And worse, he made her sad, so often.
He didn't think he had the strength to take her back again.

Melantha:
She growled and grabbed her brother pushing him back down with a snarl. "You listen to me William, that female feels for you, and I won't let you make yourself miserable by pushing her away! Would you leave her alone all the way across the reserve with only one friend and many wandering dangers? I'M A danger Will! I was so hungry when you left...I almost killed her Will...she was bleeding and...she smelled so good..." She took a deep breath and frowned.

William:
Will growled in return.
"You don't think I know it's dangerous for her? This isn't her home, she's made that quite clear," he shot back and he caught the rest of her words. Oh, he loved his sister, but he was certainly in a mood and to hear that once he had left her his own sister had almost killed her...

Will shuddered and sat with a small thud.
"I can't protect her and make her happy at the same time..." he murmured, looking down. After a moment, his eyes tilted upwards, to his big sister. They were cool and yet they showed just a bit of his conflicted thoughts in their depths.
"I love you, sister. But you should go now. I don't mistrust you.... but now was a poor time to tell me that."

Melantha:
"She could be happy here if you would let her know how much she means to you...maybe you need to stop seeing every female like Anna..." She frowned and stepped back her ears falling as she nodded. "Of course...I'll go..." She turned and slunk back into the darkness trying to keep up her brave front, she didn't want to let it show how much it hurt that her own brother had to banish her for being such a monster.

William:
Seeing the look on her face, Will immediately regretted his words. He had tried to make it as soft as possible, really he was hurting and angry and confused, he hadn't meant to take it out on her.
"Mel, wait!" he called out, raising a paw. Whether she turned back or not, he still continued. "Please come by more often. I know you're busy, but... I miss you."

How could he tell Ariel how he felt when he was so afraid to be hurt again? If she spurned him... he thought he just might shatter.

Melantha:
"Sure..." She murmured softly and nodded before vanishing into shadows.

William:
Will watched his sister leave, a soft frown on his face before he turned away. Deciding on the water-den, he moved to the small ground entrance. It was a tight squeeze through the tunnel, but it didn't last long. Eyes already adjusted to the darkness, he moved past his carvings to the water-entrance. There he removed his clothes, unbound his hair, and curled up under a square of fleece he'd stolen with his mother from the ranger's station, falling asleep as soon as head hit paws.