Dragoncrest Cliffs Romance never goes unpunished

Tensely he waited; pacing away the moments until he was to be greeted by the court of Drageda. Helix, unsurprisingly, arrived first and her son had the forethought to look whipped, his tucked-tail flailing devoutly against his inner thighs as he groveled towards the dark, proud creature with imploring whines. He was both happy and afraid to see her— his body naturally drawn to tuck itself into her— but his sense of duty caused him to stand before her plainly and let her determine their closeness. She was glad to see him alive, surely, but what was he to her if she couldn't depend on him?

Lava flicked one round ear thoughtfully, trying his best to ignore the fact that they had company. He looked at his mother's jagged paws and tried first to appeal to her motherly side, which he knew wouldn't work. "When you told me things didn't feel right with you, I thought it might cheer you up if I could get you a fish as fat as my head." He dared to check her expression then for any levity, but hurried along when he found it unchanged. "A-And I met this girl, on the beach, Ma... I—" the yearling swallowed. He was a quiet boy, so all of this seemed too heavy for him, even with his strong shoulders; like it was more than he could bear to reveal of himself.

"I thought she liked me," he finished lamely. "But she didn't mean the things she said, and I was dumb to let her lead me away, I see that now— I'm sorry."