Flycatcher Downs the veldt

it surprises me to see a young huntress disperse, he admitted, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. it is us males who my father wanted to see go.
his tail flicked, ears angling back slightly as his lips quirked, an expression caught between amusement and something heavier.
except for me.
the weight of those words hung between them, unsaid but understood. he was the exception. the one who was meant to stay. who was meant to lead. and yet, here he was, far from the sea, from his father’s shadow, from the warriors and hunters of his people. he could still hear the way kxemtu had spoken to his brothers, the expectation thick in his voice, the unspoken order to go, make a life, bring honor back home.
but tey’gan? he was to be the anchor. the one who remained. the one who carried their people’s future on his back.
and yet, he had left, hadn’t he?
his brows furrowed slightly, scanning the open land as if it might provide the answer.
i do not know. honesty, plain and simple. they are wild things, my kin. restless, headstrong. like water, flowing where they please. no trail is ever easy to follow.
he exhaled, rolling his shoulders. the ocean is what calls them, i hope. but i will find them. i must.
then, more gently, he looked back at her, curiosity flickering beneath his steadfast determination. and you? you say it was hard to go, but still, you did. why?