They are mountains with walls of iron that rise before them, blocking out even the precipice of their might, and Kaj feels the echo of those walls and finds peace in them. Their similarities give him strength, and he stares quietly into the older beast's eyes, seeking a certain flavor of wisdom that only a Helovian-borne could grant to him. It came in torrents, far more than Archibald had ever spoken in Kaj's presence, and he smiled wryly to think that maybe they were similar in that way, as well. Quiet, deeming to keep their thoughts to the innermost workings of their minds as they rightly should be. It only emboldened the emotion that sang with gratitude, realizing that Archibald speaking so freely was therefore an even greater gift than normal.

Each word washed over him with the intensity of a tsunami, and yet they seemed to purify his soul until he was cleansed at last, standing strong and whole before Archibald with emotions shining clear from azure eyes. Each word was like a perfect, steady-handed suture to the aching marring of his heart. Soft, concise compliments that meant far more to him than anything Mirage or the Moon Goddess could have given him. From Archibald, they were real. Tangible. From Archibald, he could gather himself, move on.

To know his herd was doing well, that they trusted him to keep them on that path, was a weight of his shoulders he hadn't known had rested there until it was already gone. A shift of them, and he felt as if he could do anything should Archibald merely ask him to.

At times, seeing the Grey as he had, he wished to have that same connection with them. It was the connection his home had built itself upon, the one he'd always found missing in Helovia. Seeing it firsthand, knowing it existed inside his home, had been a deep comfort. A tree with roots that dug into his very soul, unable to be torn out or cut down.

All it took was a soft touch to his left shoulder, and Kaj reached forth to return the gesture with a sudden fire in his eyes. "It is you and your faith that keeps me going at times, Archibald," he said fiercely, with a brotherly tone deep in each word, pooling there for Archibald to gaze upon. "It is you whom I trust at my back and at my shoulder in tandem. Thank you, my friend," he spoke deep and true, a blaze of blue in his eyes that translated all his thoughts far better to the stoic man before him. "You have calmed the storm of my worries. I cannot express my gratitude. I shall not falter again." Not with Archibald's words forever inscribed in golden ink upon his skin, a reminder of the worth he truly held.

@[Archibald]