Morningside Cuesta What if

Grayday observed his son with sad eyes. "I wish it could've been neither of us," he said, appreciating the compliment but not quite sure what to do with it. He licked his son's cheek instead of commenting further, and stood to follow Dauntless and the girls in the direction they'd run off. His ears swivelled back toward Sunny as the boy spoke, and he glanced over his shoulder with a hint of surprise on his face.

"Has someone caught your eye?" he asked curiously, head cocking to the side. A second later, he went on to answer, realizing that this was important information whether or not he currently had his mind on a girl. "I'm not the best one to ask about that," he said with a wry smile. "Considering my past and all. But my mother always used to say that good mates are two wolves who have become very good at forgiving each other. So I imagine you'd want to choose a girl that won't hold things over your head - and someone you won't be holdin' things over, either," he added, his mind straying to Khoe, and how little these words seemed to apply to her, and to their relationship.

"You need to get to know her, first," he said softly. "You need to make sure you both want the same things. She needs to be happy to be around you, and you need to be happy to be around her. It has to be a girl you'd do anything for - a girl worth givin' up anything for..."

He trailed off, realizing he was no longer speaking to his son. With a heavy sigh, he refocused on his son, feeling strangely empty inside. "I think that's a question to ask Val when you get back to Easthollow," he finally decided. "I don't - I couldn't tell ya, Sunny. I really couldn't."