Big Salmon Lake Endless phone calls and dreaming about you

Eljay didn't press any further after Fennec said 'okay'. He didn't need her to confide in him in any way; he just needed her to know that she was welcome anytime. He nodded with a soft smile, which widened when she then thanked him for listening. He was just happy to be there for her. Fennec was a little bit like a daughter to him in some way, considering she had been his mentee. He was just happy to see her thrive, and he hoped that things'd get better for her back at the Caldera.

The return question surprised Eljay. Oh... Yeah. Honestly, he was as surprised as anyone to thrive elsewhere than Redhawk Caldera. It's a nice place, with great wolves. They've really become my family in some way. Eljay smiled at Fennec. We've had a lot of rough patches there, but it's nice to... Eljay visibly hesitated a moment. ... To feel appreciated, I guess, and not so stressed all the time. He'd never really said those words out loud: that Redhawk Caldera had made him feel nervous and stressed all the time. That was why he had left, but even when he'd left, he hadn't said it. Even in Brecheliant, he hadn't said it. It was for Maia. And it was true in many ways. If not for Maia, he probably would've stayed at Redhawk Caldera forever. But at the same time, it was good for him to have left because of how it'd made him feel to be there. It was good to live without that constant pressure.