Broken Antler Fen well I'mma go down on a railroad track

His forehead remained against hers--the moment too fragile to move from, it seemed, as either remained rooted. Was her heart thundering as much as his? The scent of milk clung to her, stirring at him, though this time, when before it had brought him joy, it caused despair to slowly wrap around his heart.

She stumbled on her words--his gentle Ibis dare not move. He felt as if at any moment she would flee from him. He could not read her--not even if he could see her eyes in this very moment. Had their distance instilled a rift? Worse, he waited, aching to know if the children she bore were to a man she had taken as a mate.

"I'm so happy you're home," she murmured to him, and he could almost taste the iron from the blood his teeth wrought from biting at his tongue. "Are you," he wanted to question, to demand the truth from her. Did he still have a place here?

Instead, he pulled back gently, gaze imploring as he sought hers. "Ibis?"