Broken Antler Fen i drive into corning, and all the spindles whine

arcturus sensed a shift, though it pained him to notice it. he'd never been one with words - not eloquent words, anyway -- and the subject of moonspear was one that stressed him dearly. he worked his heavy and unwilling throat, and were he human he might stiffly open and close his palms.

"kukutux's leg seemed broken, but i stayed as long as i could. she is in good care now." arcturus expanded, recalling how he'd left her with a store of food and in the company of her daughter. that was, to the extent, all he could do when his place was not besides kukutux, but besides wraen.

learning ibis had gone as well, arcturus' ears turned. it was too much to hope that the face ibis found was familiar. "that's good, at least." his throat constricted unpleasantly thinking of how much had been lost. "wraen, i have something --" a pause, pained as he tried to sort words that just wanted to blend and bleed together in a tangled mess. "when i was with kukutux, it made me realize how unhappy i've become." arcturus worked a tense sigh through his body that now subtly shook with anxiety: "unhappy, only because i don't know the future and my place here. unhappy because i've danced around something that's been eating at me a long time."

again came the ripple of terror and grief that arcturus only scarcely put on hold. "will you be my mate, wraen?"