Moonspear Mad world

"I squashed your gift," she said, and he was briefly confused. When he looked down, though, he saw that she had withdrawn her foot from the chipmunk's body. It did look a little flattened, though it would still taste the same. To be honest, he had forgotten about it; he had been caught up in the moment and trying to decipher the thoughts and feelings swirling in his mind.

"It's okay," he assured her with a small smile. When she asked about hunting, he started to nod. That would be an easy interaction to sustain -- no awkward silence, no grasping for the right words to say or carefully calculating his movements. They would both succumb to instinct, and it would be natural. But before he could answer, she made another statement that made him stiffen.

It was hard -- it was really hard, and he was sure it was worse from her perspective. How could she trust him again? He wasn't the one that had hurt her, but muscle memory was a powerful thing -- what if they tried to make love and she freaked out? How would he handle that? It would be a lie to say that he hadn't wondered about it. But he also wasn't sure he was ready to give up what they had -- or at least, what they had been starting to build together. They hadn't gotten very far before Goober ruined everything.

"I..." He opened his mouth, the single syllable hanging in the air between them. "I'll always be there for you. You're my best friend. But...maybe we should just be that, for now," he finally said slowly. It was hard to force the words past his lips, but it seemed like the best solution for the time being -- even if it hurt, there would be no pressure. Right?