Firefly Glen a cathedral

elowen flinches slightly as his paw brushes beneath her chin, her breath catching for a moment before she straightens, her face turning up to meet his. there's a soft blush that blooms beneath her fur, though her eyes are steady—calm, even if her heart races a little faster.

she hesitates for a heartbeat longer, but there’s a flicker of something in her eyes now—a faint, fragile spark that wasn’t there before. she shifts closer, just enough to bridge a little of the space between them.

from beneath the soft ruff of her fur, she gently pulls out a small bundle of mallard feathers, carefully tucked and preserved. 

"they’re... just some feathers," she says, the words a little too rushed, too light to cover the uncertainty threading through them. they’re vibrant, even in the fading light, shimmering with hues of green and blue. she sets them down carefully, nudging them closer to him with her nose before retreating a step. 

"you—you don’t have to keep them or anything. just… thought you might like them." she explains, her voice barely above a whisper. her gaze flits to him, tentative and uncertain, before quickly dropping back to the frost-covered ground.