Wheeling Gull Isle [M] i lie awake and try to recall how your body felt beside me

She knew he would come. She needed him to come. And so he did, and she lifted her head above her paws, her black nose a dark blip in the snow. She remained laying down, though, letting him come to her—which was funny, given his own reticence. Would they collide, or would the two be held in infinite indecision, like magnets held the wrong way yet desperately shoved together?

I'm scared, Maegi admitted, her voice barely audible above the gale. Her eyes sought his, pleading. I can't lose another child, Mou. It'll kill me.

And yet, how she yearned to be a mother again! Perhaps it was only the swell of hormones, but she swore she caught the scent of a newborn, its milk-sweet breath, clean, fresh silken pelt. She clutched the feeling to her chest, hoping it could serve as comfort against the fear that rattled every bone.

Do you. . .want. . .? She was hesitant, trembling. What can we do?