King Elk Forest -- when the ones that damn the innocent are on the nightly news

the movement of her leg catches his eye, noting the way she worries it but not stopping to process yet. when she asks why he has to resist the sudden threat of tears (he sulks, he looms, he whines, but he does not cry). he does not have time to respond before she continues, explanating, and again he looks at her leg, the gears in his quick mind turning.

"i thought that," he starts, ears twitching back. you kept him. "maybe  you left because of me." admitting it now, the nénar feels -- stupid, arrogant. of course he couldn't have touched them. he was never a threat nor is he an option even now. but it's too late to swallow the words back so instead he looks at his feet and asks quietly, "what happened?"