Broken Antler Fen I wrote you a letter

"Well, Maia, I have known him for years and way before you even considered him as a potential mate-to-be," Wraen sighed, feeling sorry that her sister was about to exit the honeymoon period of her relationship and begin to see the person of their interest for who they truly were. Eljay, who through and through was a good guy had three faults: 1. He had a self-confidence of melting ice - step on it wrong and it either cracked or shattered; 2. He tended to overthink and overanalyze things; 3. He resisted change, unless it slapped him across the face and then he was forced to deal with it. And here was Maia, who... except for more flexibility was more or less a female version of Eljay. A very much improved one, in Wraen's biased opinion. "The secret knowledge of, how to handle Eljay properly, is passed on from one generation of women to the next," she told her in a conspirational whisper and grinned at the joke. "And I will tell you, what I was told by late Wildfire, who had known him all her life, the key of understanding and dealing Eljay is - patience, patience and patience," and for Eljay's sake she hoped that Maia would be the last woman, who would ever need this advice. "And being a kind of a mom to him too - not in an obvious sense, but he needs someone to care for him and reassure him, and gently push him on the right path," or the path that you consider to be the right one. 

"The point I was trying to make earlier is that your situation is not an "all or nothing" case. I understand that he was caught off guard by your proposition, but he did not say a big, fat "NO!", did he?" the people-pleaser Eljay was, she could not imagine him doing so. Even if it made him unhappy and anxious. "I say you give it another shot, but this time have a discussion. Ask him, what he has imagined for you and what he has to offer, and then tell, where you stand, and what is important to you. And I am sure that you will be able to meet in the middle and find a way that suits you both well. It can go many ways, you just have to talk to each other and be honest. Relationships are hard, but you do not stop trying, just because there has been one hiccup along the road," she said. "If you both like each respective places of residence - you can even agree to raise your family in both packs - first half of the year here with us and the second half - the useful and bratty one - over there. That way your kids will enjoy and get to know both sides of the family and can eventually decide, where they want to stay," Wraen liked the idea, though she did not hope that Maia and Eljay would act upon it. There were selfish reasons for her to want Maia to stay here - she remembered well, how very lonely she had felt during those months, when her sister had gone to visit their family. And she knew that, if her sister moved away to Redhawks, that would mean another member of her very small circle of close friends lost. She knew she would not be able to make those journeys to and back from the caldera frequent enough... if at all. 

She could have told Maia this and had she been younger and with a more fiery temper, she would have. Along with many other things she would later regret saying. Now, however, she could not afford to lose any more friends.