Noctisardor Bypass always on my mind

This girl seemed really chatty. She reminded Laurel a lot of.. well, of herself, before... I happened. ... When she was younger. She had been just as chatty, just as bubbly, even though a lot of it had been a mask to shield herself from getting too close to anyone. It was just a mask that was more painful and heavy to keep in front of her face as the years went on.

She wondered if it was the same for Sequoia, and could not help but feel for her, even though she was totally 100% projecting herself onto Sequoia.

Another thing that reminded her of herself when she was young was the bad exes thing. Oh, she collected a few. Now, now, don't be daft, my dearest — we never broke up. An involuntary shiver ran down Laurel's spine before she straightened her smile again and chuckled in response to the question. Oh, yeah, too many to list. Though the latest one, I guess, is the one I came here with. Xan, he... She thought back to their first time. Young, naive, she thought she could change him. We were together many years ago, when I was about your age. I seduced him, thought I could make him love me, but he thought we were friends. You know how it is with men, they never change and then play dumb when they gotta make a choice. He thought that he could stay with his mate and raise her pups as well as be my friend and watch me raise mine. Laurel frowned as she thought of it, and she felt a little angry thinking back to it. After his mate left him, he suddenly wanted me, but I left him in the dust. I didn't see him for a long time after, 'til he showed up in my previous home, Easthollow, all of a sudden. After many months I finally believed he might stick around this time, y'know? He said he loved me, that he made a mistake way back then.

Laurel sighed as she continued the tale down its latest dark turn. We came here in hopes of starting a family together. A fresh start and all that. But I guess men can't be changed, 'cause I haven't seen him ever since we moved to the Bypass. He seems to have gone... Along with my hopes and dreams for having a family again. Being a mother again — oh, how desperately she needed that second chance after how badly she had screwed up with Charles, Riley and Louie. Well, that was her story, told animatedly and in detail. She didn't look particularly struck right now, which might be odd considering she'd said how much it had hit her; how much having a family meant to her.