Blackfeather Woods and then one day you find ten years have got behind you

He knows before he's finished mouthing those words that he's struck a nerve, and when Maegi turns away he sees the exposed emotion upon her face. It turns his stomach. He wants to apologize but he can't, not easily, and so he lets a level of shame wash over himself until she speaks again. He listens until she's so broken up over things that she buries herself in to his fur, and Mou cannot help but feel glad for their closeness; he feels guilty for that, knowing he's somehow benefitting from her emotional distress, but he holds her close and waits for her to experience everything as it naturally occurs.

When she starts to apologize, then he's interjecting with a shake of his head, short bursts so that he doesn't disturb their proximity. The warmth spreading between them is a refreshing change from the dampness of the moor and the chill of the October shadows. I'm glad you're here, she slurs. He takes a deep breath but doesn't respond, only presses his cheek against her and hums a happy sound.

He wants to say so many things, reassure her, help her through whatever she's going through, but it's harder for him. Mou can't remember his family and he can't identify with the situation of a loveless mother, and he doesn't want to say the wrong thing again.