Redhawk Caldera the still earth

Tell him I still want to be with him, Ani wanted to tell her, because it was the truth. Her body may have changed, though all her desires and whims remained, including that one.

Tell him the truth, she decided. Then bring him to me, if he wants to see me for himself.

If he didn’t want her anymore after he saw what had become of her, then she supposed there was nothing to be done. The thought hurt her deeply, though Ani wouldn’t exactly blame him.

She loved that Chickadee insisted she wouldn’t marry Stratos without her. It was selfish, she knew, but Ani took great comfort in knowing Chickadee wouldn’t simply run off with Stratos and leave her behind. He would get both of them or neither of them.

Ani’s smile curled against her sister’s fur as she shut her eyes and slept.