Bitterroot Valley Enter, Pursued by a Memory

twitch stared up at him as he spoke, and in a blink, the looks she gives him is half-glazed over. she flushes with a laugh, something embarrassed in tone—always the same with her. a flower that can bloom in a heartbeat and wilt in the same breath, petals closing the moment someone steps too close to the softest parts of her.

his offer is kind on all fronts. familiar, too—he’d put it more bluntly than sega did, but no less gentle, not cornering. the tightness in her chest shifted, and she swallows once, twice, to get rid of the feeling. “s’not that serious, i don’t think. that, and i don’t do tragic backstories on the first date, but thank you.” it’s a half truth that she sweetens on the way out, even if it tastes bitter as it goes. as sweet as he was, some things were better left unsaid.

others, however—..“brain is debatable, by the way.” she murmurs with the twitch of a smirk.

when he stood, she dragged herself upright right after him with a loose shake, bits of leaf litter falling from her scruff. her legs wobbled once—still knocked half-senseless from his tackle—but she steadied, turning her muzzle toward a narrow opening where sunlight hit the grass in a long seam.

“lake’s this way,” she said, stepping past him with a flick of her tail against his shoulder, light but intentional. a few strides, then she glanced back with a lopsided, crooked smile. “keep up this time?”

this thread got very long very fast ;w; do we wanna open a new one? these two are very sweet