The Bracken Woods we were diamonds, now we’re dust

When he broke his silence, his words kicked up a dust storm inside her head. She didn’t know which allegation to rejoin first, though she would answer any question Mulherin asked. She swallowed thickly, twice, trying to sort through the whirlwind inside her skull.

She began with, I wanted to get her okay before I infringed on anybody else. Even after I got it, it didn’t feel right to loiter. I’m sorry.

His smile reassured her somewhat, though the internal maelstrom did not lose any of its force as she contemplated the words that came after that dry remark. How could she explain it to him? Masque was reminded of that other day, right here in these woods, where she’d struggled with a similar quandary.

I needed to be selfish, leave it all—you all—behind to figure out where I really belonged, she tried. That distance, that time, helped me get some perspective. She paused, letting out a breath. I came to realize I didn’t fit in with the rise. I never really had. At first, I thought I needed to stay as far away as possible… but that’s not the case. Just because I’m not part of the pack anymore doesn’t mean we have to be strangers.

It was the same sentiment she’d expressed to Redd. Would Mulherin understand, like their sister had? Or would he have a different take? She wondered what he’d make of her claim of Dragon’s Back Ridge, now Dragonspine. He’d been in favor of it once but her departure had shifted so many dynamics.

She slowly withdrew her lingering paw, just so she could shift her weight. Her baby bump wasn’t very big yet and it really only swelled one part of her body. Yet it made her feel heavier and slightly out of balance, a thing Masque had never anticipated even with her background as a Caru.