Hushed Willows i won't let you fall tonight

A content sigh slipped out of her as she watched Ghost settle down and Banner didn't even attempt to muffle it.  His presence filled up her personal space with a warmth she hadn't experienced before.  Usually Stark was the only one who stuck his nose under the weeping boughs of this particular willow tree and he never lingered long.  He respected her space.  Or didn't want to face her wrath.  Either way, the alone time worked out for her.  Having Ghost here, though.. it felt right.

Her tail thumped the ground twice more when he replied that he'd bring feathers for her.  Cheeks growing hot again, she looked away and found that her eyes landed on his shoulder.  The one with those scars she'd noticed when they met back in the marsh.  Her features maintained a pleasant calmness while she lingered and wondered about how he got them.  Well, she knew why they were there.  Ghost had said they marked his kill count and she recalled not being overly bothered by that.  It had been but a blip in their conversation and barely even registered on her radar.  There were so many other things to consider about that day.. and now about this day.  The marks must have been excruciating however he'd recieved them.

Kill count, though?  He didn't seem threatening to her.  Okay, well he was a powerful presence and clearly had the tools to get the job done, but Ghost wasn't.. he didn't.. he was almost gentle with her.  In his own way, she mused quietly, not realizing that she'd been openly appreciating how easy he was on the eyes.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.  "I only have the crane feathers and a couple of blue ones I happened upon."  Her collection sounded lackluster the way she'd presented it.  Her green eyes flicked back up just in time to catch his smile and Banner felt the warmth on her cheeks redouble so intensely she could swear she were actually glowing.  "Not very impressive, now that I think of it," she joked quietly.