Broken Antler Fen all these golden days we had

Eljay could sense that Maia was nervous, too. He wasn't aware it was a different kind of anxiety that Maia was facing. He thought she was also nervous that they might not get the 'yes' that they hoped for. Even though she said 'yeah' and 'definitely', he was afraid that she wasn't as sure as she tried to let on. What if they'd receive a 'no'? Then they would have to figure out what to do next. Would they have to leave? And where would they even go? They could start their own pack, but then, who would follow them? Would there be enough wolves to care for the puppies? And what if —

He was slashed from his internal worrying by Ibis arriving suddenly and a little too quickly for his liking. He wasn't mentally prepared just yet! Eljay forced a quick smile to his face, though it was clear that he was really, really nervous. His eyes fell on Ibis' rounded sides and he worried that it might dampen their own chances that she was pregnant, too, however selfish and awful that made him feel. After his experiences at Redhawk Caldera, Eljay was terrified that they wouldn't get the right answer.

Hey, he said awkwardly. We, uh — He glanced at Maia and swallowed thickly as he looked back at Ibis. He'd already forgotten she had asked what they were up to, or he might've first said that they'd been looking for Ibis. Well, we wanted to ask if it's okay to — if we can uh, if we could become parents this year. He felt a nervous jitter in his stomach as he asked it and looked at Ibis, trying to spot whether or not she would say yes before she said it (but also hoping she'd say it very quickly).