Dragoncrest Cliffs deeper than any forest pri[m]eval, i am in love with you

Her lips pursed and she held very still as Njord began shifting and snuffling in his sleep. She hadn’t meant to disturb him and hoped he might simply go under again. When that didn’t happen—when he began mumbling at her—Meerkat smiled despite herself, the simple sound of his voice soothing the edges of her ragged emotions.

Shhh, go back to sleep, she whispered, gently petting his face. Her voice trailed off into a murmuring croon as she abruptly remembered the time he’d serenaded her on the beach. Maybe she could return the favor, sing him back to sleep.

Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean…
Higher than any bird ever flew…
Longer than there’ve been stars up in the heavens…

She breathed wordlessly through the next line, her heart suddenly thumping. Was she ready to say it to him? Did she want to be the one to say it first? She had put her heart on the line for Atlas only to have it crushed. But Meerkat knew her heart was safe here, with Njord, and there was something easier about saying it to him while he was half-asleep. There was, she thought with a tiny smile, plausible deniability.

Continuing in the next breath, she very quietly sang,

Stronger than any mountain cathedral…
Truer than any tree ever grew…
Deeper than any forest primeval…
I am in love with you.

Lyrics belong to Dan Fogelberg.