Sleeping Dragon 808s & heartbreak

The girl's innocent question and astute observation caused Wildfire to chuckle abruptly, though she quickly bit it back because laughing—just like almost everything else at this point—hurt. She grimaced, wondering if she should shoo Freyja away and try to get some sleep. When she was asleep, she wasn't aware of the pain.

But she couldn't leave the Feisripa hanging. "It's kind of a funny term, isn't it? It just means that you like him," Wildfire explained. "You're too young to take a mate," she continued, a note of motherly sternness in her voice, "but you're right at the age where you'll start noticing boys—or girls, or both—in a romantic capacity. It's natural, instinctual; nearly all of us seek companionship, a partner."