Sleepy Fox Hollow Folk star

In the aftermath of her confession, Wylla could only wish she hadn't said so much. Why now did sentiment come knocking at her door, kicking down her walls and making her spill her secrets to this man? She knew the answer, she'd just said as much to him, but it was a more powerful force than she'd ever reckoned with before. She'd always been able to hide behind a veil of sarcasm and clipped humour, but while the compulsion was still there, it was being overridden.

She blamed the pregnancy for making her soft. The reality was that beneath all the barbs and spikes and flaming tar, there was a soft little wolf who desperately wanted to protect herself, and that was Wylla at her core.

It was her turn to be made to feel a little dizzy by his proclamations. Wylla knew very little of Mahler's past life and love, which he obviously intended, but she knew there'd been kids involved, presumably planned ones. Kids who were killed by the fever that claimed most of Mahler's former pack. She wondered if his former love was taken by that event as well and if that was what made him so stoic and honour-bound, so unmoved from his plans by things like emotion. It would explain a lot, although from what he said, it seemed like it was a young love. Fresh. New, kind of like her feelings now were. Strangely, it gave her hope that if things went completely south for them, she wouldn't be wholly shattered by it. A foolish thought.

Mahler had a lot to say and in the end Wylla remained unsure. He'd made his plans and his promises. She knew he was too honourable to break them even now, and so they were in the same place: her, greedy for him alone, and he, bound by his word to share himself. She chewed the inside of her cheek and pulled her yellow gaze away from him. It's not your fault, she said. It was painful at long last to really admit this, but she would never grow—they would never grow—if she kept childishly fleeing from responsibility. For not waiting. I was a real bag of dicks to you before Tiercel and I left, it's not like I gave you any impression that if I did come back here, I'd give you the time of day. And there was no guarantee I'd ever... feel for you, so... it'd be dumb to wait on an unknown. Not quite an apology, and it was followed by something akin to her usual humour, but it was a start.

And, she murmured, stomach clenching with nerves, it's not like I stopped you. I wanted you, so I came to you, but I should've known what would happen. I should've known that this would change things. And Wylla had, but she'd ignored it. Sucking in a breath, the little Pionier took several steps to close the distance between them, hesitated for just a second, then leaned forward and dipped her head down to press her crown to the General's collarbone, seeking his comfort and warmth.