Redhawk Caldera wind in my hair, 'cause I don't care

Eljay blinked as he mapped the name of "Cuckoo" in his name, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was... a name? Maybe he could try and play peacemaker, even though he'd never visited this pack. Maybe a fresh face could help... somehow. And he needed to go to Moonspear to see Fennec and her teacher, anyway, one of these days. Maybe not while Maia was here, though. He needed to look after his patient, after all, and he enjoyed his time with her way too much anyway.

Towhee said neither of them should be in that position and though she was right, Eljay also thought that regardless, they were both in that situation and that meant that one of them had to compromise beyond reason. He was so afraid to leave this place, but he found himself perhaps even more afraid to lose Maia. He'd considered leaving the Copse to go chase the off chance that Maia would want him nearby. Why was it so much harder now that he lived here, in the Blackthorn den, in Redhawk Caldera? It was as though he'd fallen in love with an old lover and he was hesitating whether to run back to that ex rather than pursue this new love. Why was it even a question? It shouldn't be, right? Was he really going to risk it all for this place?

Towhee ripped Eljay violently from his downward-spiral-thoughts and he looked up at her at her question and just blinked. Herbs for... eyeballs? Achy eyeballs? After a few seconds of stunned silence, Eljay said, ... Why are they achy?