Larksong Grotto I know I would die if I could come back new

Things were happening fast, but not fast enough. With the arrival of spring had been a rush of many changes, which seemed to include their dispersal — like it was fated to be, as if neither Reek nor Tavi had any control over the events which unfolded. Maybe she was just being hopeful. Distancing herself from what had transpired, or simply denying the connection that she had with her closest friend. Ever since coming to this grotto, Tavi had been different. She still needed the companionship that Reek represented, the feeling that spread through her body with his touch, but.. It was tainted, somehow. She resisted it. Her moods were infrequent at best; at times pleased to see him, and yet in other moments, fleeting moments, she was lethargic and moody.

Soon their claim would be set in stone, and things would change again. For now though, Tavi was in one of her moods — antsy, frustrated, and coasting about the territory as best she could given the rough-hewn terrain. It had been a day or so since she had last seen Reek, and as his howl echoed through the stonework of the grotto, she had half a mind to ignore it. With a long drawn sigh held briefly in her lungs, Tavi exhaled sharply and began to pick her way through the trees and rocks towards his position - unsure of herself in this place still, and unsure of him. Maybe it wasn't Reek she was wary of, though — maybe it was just her feelings she wished to keep at arms length.

Her route took her towards the lake, and she emerged from the shadow of the towering hillside to witness Reek's silhouette looming over the embankment. She slunk across the shale as carefully as she could, until the stone turned in to gravel, and then in to the loam of the lake's edge. The woman chuffed softly to him from his flank, wondering what exactly had Reek so excited.