Sleeping Dragon is 'i love you' a fact or weapon?

Wildfire doesn’t stay there for long and eventually takes a step back, putting space between them. Thuringwethil frowns, ears back against her skull, and takes her own step away. Her stammering doesn’t settle well with the young leader, realizing how much she doesn’t want to do this now. There are things the girl doesn’t understand, things she might not ever—things that might, ultimately, cause her to run away. The thought leaves a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach, with the knots still in place, and she thinks it might be easier to let her go.

“Wildfire,” she says quietly, trying to soothe the troubled woman. If she darts away now, she’s not sure she’ll ever see her again—did she really mean she can’t stay? Thuringwethil swallows and closes her eyes for a moment, trying to gather herself. The mewling from the den is enough of a distraction that she takes a step forward, only to encourage Wildfire away so they did not disturb the new family. “There are things that… I haven’t told you. Things that, I think if you did know, you’d understand. Because I—”

The pause lingers between them, uncertain, unfinished, because she isn’t sure herself what she wants to say. There isn't anyone around Drageda to enforce them, to encourage her to stick to their ways, but what has she done so far since the genesis of Sleeping Dragon? Defied plenty of their traditions in the make of something new, straying from the path she'd been born for.

“I have feelings, Wildfire, for you, and I’m not supposed to.”