Noctisardor Bypass believe in me and I'll believe in you

He had promised to stay. Now he vowed to keep any pups safe and fed. Druid’s lips pulled back into a smile. What else was there, indeed?

Love, I guess, she said lightly. I loved my mother. I still do. I know she loved me too. Druid paused, then continued thoughtfully, She was my friend too. I’m not sure how loving I’ll be, to tell you the truth, but I can definitely be a friend.

She realized this could apply to their relationship too. Druid blinked and gazed off into the bypass. They liked one another, that much they’d established. But they hadn’t coupled since her heat had waned, by her choice. It no longer interested her, simply put, but what about the other aspects of a partnership—romance, for instance?

We’ll be their role models too, she continued after her ponderous silence, making no mention of what else was on her mind, so I’ll do my best to make sure they learn to be self-sufficient. I hope to teach them how to fish, for instance.

At the reminder, she pinned a paw on her half-eaten trout and began to gnaw on it again. She kept her charcoal ears pricked for Glaukos’s next words.