Serpent Lake to the town of agua fria rode a stranger one fine day

i suck, sorry for the wait

despite the dizzying fog that still encapsulated his skull, there was no dulling the sensation of brisk whiskers across his forehead, of a soft kiss placed along the new egg of his skull. val's eyes widened as the stranger pulled away, realizing she was no stranger at all just as she danced off in a flurry of nervous giggles.

a big part of val yearned to spring after her joyously, to exclaim with loud and pleasant surprise that it was alyx, not some stranger! yet when he tried to lurch up his head swam and a darkness snarled along the edge of his vision, forcing him back down. "ooof." he grunted, sitting so his hind end was under him out to the side and his front limbs propped him up precariously like a top-heavy thing on stilts. "alyx!!" he breathed, in awe and quiet happiness. "i'm okay now. better. how have you been?" and then, shyly -- "i missed you."