Sometimes I think I'm just a shadow of other people's lives.

I didn't build a family. I didn't conquer territories. I didn't leave my name on the rocks.
But I have two little lives, which I carried on my back through ashes and blood.
Josh. Emet.
I may not be their real father... But their first laugh, their first steps, their sleepy noses buried in my fur - that's all mine.
I held them when the world was crumbling around them. I coaxed them to sleep when fear scratched in the shadows. I whispered to them that everything would be okay, even when I didn't believe it myself.
I often think of the North. His laughter. His warm gaze. His voice.
Sometimes I think I'm still running after him... through forests, through rivers, through empty nights.
I was happy for him, I loved him silently, I carried this love inside me like a secret that warmed and tore me apart at the same time.
And I would give everything for him to see who his sons had become. How strong, kind and brave they were growing up to be.
I am not a hero. I am just a wolf who once loved too much. And who was too afraid to lose again.
And if I have to live the rest of my days in the shadows, that is enough for me.
As long as they are alive. As long as they are happy. As long as they are free.

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