Big Salmon Lake Endless phone calls and dreaming about you

My son, she said. Eljay perked up and his eyes shone with a mixture of surprise and positivity. Fennec finally stopped her reckless scratching — he bark seemed to be long gone from the tree already — and looked at him, seeming a bit calmer. Of course, she couldn't see the myriad of expressions that passed his face. Somehow, Fennec just didn't seem like the mother type of person, but all the same Eljay's first response was a hearty and soft-spoken (mostly due to the earlier strained conversation pieces and the state Fennec was in), Congratulations, Fenn.

He didn't immediately ask about Killdeer, because he told himself that he would just have to visit. Fennec was important to him in some way — he'd been her mentor for some time and he remembered trying to fix things between her and Niamh back when — and he wanted to meet the little tyke who was so important in her life.

But right now Fennec was right in front of him, and he felt that it wasn't the right moment to talk about her son. That'd happen when he would visit, Eljay promised himself. Instead, he said after a short silence, I think the most important thing in life is that you uhm... you should do what's good for you. What feels good for you. Eljay had waited too long to craft his own path, always feeling insignificant. He was another side of the same coin Fennec was struggling with: because he was underappreciated and had been bullied in his youth, he thought he was worthless. Ever since joining Brecheliant, Eljay had come to realise that there were places that were different than Redhawk Caldera and Drageda. That there were wolves who were more soft and appreciative out there. Better for him to be around. He didn't necessarily think it was better for Fennec to be around, but he did want her to realise that what she was worth was something she decided; not the wolves of Redhawk Caldera. You decide what you're worth. Not they. Eljay wasn't sure if it was helpful, or if Fennec even needed this pep talk at all; but he wanted to let her know just in case it was helpful.