Redhawk Caldera run away with me now

After his talks with Wraen and Towhee, where Eljay had tried to gauge whether Wraen and @Maia could be convinced to come home — they couldn't — and where Eljay had discussed what he had been too afraid to discuss with Maia, he felt kind of lost. Eljay just felt a big whirling storm inside of his stomach. He wanted it all. He wanted Maia to be with him and he didn't want to be pining at the borders every day, hoping for her to return soon. He didn't want to be afraid to travel outside of the territory, but the truth was that he was. He didn't want Maia to stop travelling but he wanted her to be a part of the pack and travel from them and for them. He wanted a family. He wanted to raise his children here, where his parents had raised him and most of his siblings.

It seemed that all of the things he wanted could impossibly be compressed into all of the things that Maia wanted. Wraen was the big denominator, because Eljay couldn't possibly ask Maia to leave her sister to stay here and build a life — a family — with him. He didn't want to ask that of her. But.. he did want that family and that life.

Feeling thoroughly lost at sea without a lifeboat, Eljay stared out over the lake in Redhawk Caldera's center while he tried to process all of his thoughts. The sun started to set, much like yesterday when he had had the talk with Towhee, and it looked beautiful. Staring out over the beautifully pink and orange painted lake, it felt as if his thoughts had gotten stuck inside of that sunset and they had not let him go. A breeze tussled his fur around and he sighed while he tried once more to make sense of all the facts and reach a reasonable conclusion. Ah, why had Towhee snapped him out of his state of euphoric denial with Maia by asking all the relevant but horrible questions?

Maia, on the other hand, had a new sense of optimism about her as she roamed the Caldera.  They had a path forward, a way to try this out and to see how the chips might fall.  She wasn't sure how well the travel would work, but that was kind of the whole point, wasn't it?  She wanted to see what the distance meant, and she wanted to try it out with the side of the equation that was less sure.

The idea of starting a pack with Wraen was a dream come true, and Maia needed to be there to see it begin.  She wasn't blind though.  If things with Eljay worked out, and if they decided that a family was what they wanted, they couldn't very well split the difference.  She wasn't entirely sure where they'd end up - here or there.  But if the distance didn't make a difference to her and Eljay, then it stood to reason it would make just as little difference to her and Wraen.  At least, that's what Maia told herself.

It was too bad she didn't think to tell Eljay the same.  They hadn't actually really talked about it yet, though she knew Wraen had told him about the idea.  It felt like so much was happening lately.  She intended to grab a little time, though, and found Eljay sitting by the lake and looking a thousand miles away.  I thought I was the wanderer, she said with a little, affectionate laugh behind it.  Whatcha thinkin?  She sat down beside him and looked out as well.  It was no glen, but there was something pretty to this place.

WC: 276

Eljay's head quickly turned towards Maia when he heard her laugh and words. He hadn't even heard her approach at all, so lost in thoughts was he. She asked the dreaded question — what was he thinking — before settling down by his side. Eljay smiled and gently leaned against Maia. Days had passed and he was confident enough by all of her touches to him to gently reach out himself, now, no longer as afraid for sudden rejection (though it would probably take a lot more time for him to be fully confident in this).

Oh, uhm... he murmured, and he tried to think of how to explain what he'd been thinking about. A lot, I guess. He glanced out over the lake while leaning into Maia's touch and let out a sigh. The future, I guess, but I... I don't know how to say it without, uhm... Eljay frowned and he felt his breathing speed up as his throat tightened. A familiar feeling that he'd last felt this worse just before his full-blown panic attack in regards to Maia leaving the last time. I d-don't want to chase you away. His breathing remained rapid, though he managed to stop himself from hyperventilating, at least, in awaiting of her answer.

With Wiffle, things'd already been going very much towards the too-late-to-chase-her-away direction. They were having children together. With Maia, though... Everything was still on the table, laid out, and they hadn't really discussed what either of them wanted and what they were going to do. Not just in the next couple of months, but next year. Eljay didn't want to talk about it, knowing that it would scare Maia off if he started talking about having children and all that stuff. It wasn't fair to lay that on her.

Yep, still butterflies when he leaned in!  She let out a little contented breath and relaxed against him, but didn't speak until he was done.  His words were a little foreboding, but in a strange way, because she couldn't imagine him being capable of really chasing her off.  Unless he was going to remove his mask and reveal that he was the stranger in the woods all along!  Maia could have joked as much, but it was a little too soon, and the comparison felt way too wrong to make.  Eljay was safety, and care, and everything the complete opposite of him.

You couldn't.  Unless you mean, like, you might literally chase me off.  But that would be weird.  That laugh was a bit awkward, mainly because the joke was awkward, but she was sincere when she looked up at him.  I swear, cross my heart, that I won't freak out if you want to talk.  Okay?  She made the motion with a paw, then leaned back in.  She tried to keep the pleading in her eyes to a minimum, but now he'd piqued her curiosity bigtime.  What did he want to say that he thought she wouldn't want to hear?

WC: 201

Maia tried to reassure him, though Eljay was only mildly reassured. He felt a little better at the thought that Maia at least thought he was unable to chase her off, but he was still afraid that he would actually chase her off if she knew what he was talking about. He honestly didn't want to feel this way, but he did, and he hated it. He hated that it seemed he was bound to ruin everything, and all he had to do for it was just be himself. The days before his talk with Towhee had been pleasant and he had thought not too much about the future, but she had planted the seed and it had manifested into a giant beanstalk that had grown way beyond Eljay's control.

Okay, he replied, though his voice was small and sounded a little tight and panicked. I've just been thinking a lot about — okay, so you guys settle nearby, and.. and you can visit all the time — but — what if — what about later? What about — I — want a family with you. His voice stopped in his throat before he said it though, and his breathing remained rapid while his eyes panickedly searched for places on the horizon in an attempt to occupy himself with anything but bringing this to a full blown panic attack.

Woah.  His voice started out small, but she felt his breathing pick up as he went, and immediately she kicked herself for setting it off by pushing.  She was still getting used to how hard certain things were for him, and for the first time, she wondered if maybe she'd misjudged things previously.  Maybe she needed to get used to just giving a little more time.

She didn't know exactly what to do to help, so she took a guess and moved in closer, sitting up so that her side fit with his and she could press the full length along.  Then she started to, methodically, comb through the fur at his neck and behind his ears, waiting for his breathing to calm.

She didn't want him to miss what she wanted to say, so she waited a bit before she answered.  She could only guess at what he'd been meaning to talk about, but 'later' was a strong concept for both of them.  It wasn't hard to connect the dots, even for her.

Later, we decide together.  If the travel isn't a big deal, that matters.  Because it means, later, it doesn't matter where we end up.  We can all still see each other.  Here or there, she wasn't sure she minded, just so long as when that time came her sister and Eljay were both a strong part of her life.  Right now she needed to be there for her sister, to help her to get settled and to find the happiness she deserved.  She'd found her own unexpectedly, but that didn't mean she could just check out and run off with her 'happily ever after'.  Life didn't really work that way.

WC: 284

The moving in close and grooming helped to ground him a little. Eljay felt a weird swirl of emotions between the butterflies in his stomach and the anxiety about their future and the family they were supposed to have together. He wanted to tell her all about that, but he just couldn't.

His heart hammered in his chest as Maia said after some time, a lot more contemplative than her usual bubbly self, that they would decide together. It still didn't answer the questions, well, it sort of did, he supposed.

But what about... What if we... What about if we wanted... The words got stuck in his throat in between breaths, even though his breathing had steadied somewhat since Maia had moved in closer to calm him and ground him in a way that worked much better than his own distraction tactics. He wanted so badly to finish that sentence, but the words just seemed to get stuck in his throat every time. What if she didn't feel the same? What if she didn't want a family, or to settle down, or to be stuck to children like that? He'd still love her, of course, and he'd still be happy, but the thought was scary because he wanted it to work so badly and he really, really wanted more children of his own.

A part of Maia was tempted to brush this off with her usual gusto and insist that everything would work out.  It was a very small part, though, because she'd found it was very hard to do that in these sorts of conversations with Eljay.  It didn't feel right to make light of something that he obviously was freaked out about, enough that she was driven to calm him down and tell the truth as best as she could.  It was a weird thing to appreciate, but she really did.  It was such a small thing, but every time they spoke, his sensitivity overrode her usual self doubt and made talking so much easier.  She was always focusing more on him than she was her own mouth.

She didn't know what better answer to give him.  She couldn't just say she'd stay now, because even in a few weeks, who knew where they'd be?  She couldn't imagine changing her opinion of him in any significant way; she loved him, straight up, and she knew that with a sureness that wasn't likely to change.  But if distance was a factor, or time, or any number of things, she didn't want him to feel stuck.  And deep down, she knew she'd just gone through something traumatic.  What if, when the aftermath wore off, she did change?  

He seemed to be searching for something more, and Maia paused, though she did press the side of her muzzle to his shoulder while she considered it.  What was he trying to say?  What would they want?  Is he talking about kids?  It was really the only way that sentence could end, because conversations like 'what about if we wanted dinner' didn't tend to cause panic attacks.

Maia had to think for a minute before she answered that one.  She'd spent so long growing up absolutely convinced she did NOT want kids.  They were a lot of work, a lot of responsibility, and a lot to mess up.  Everything about them had 'you cannot handle this' stamped in bold, but over the past while, a few things had changed her mind.  Seeing him and Weejay was one... seeing Towhee and Meerkat was another.  What had started out as idle wondering, playing with Terance's kids in the Hollow, had turned into a full blown reversal to the point where she'd even confessed it to Wraen.  Even with her sister it was still a hypothetical though.  With Eljay it could be real, and she'd be lying if she said that didn't freak her out on some levels.  What if she changed her mind again?  What if he did mean dinner?

He was so upset about it though, and she could tell how hard he was trying to ask the question.  In the end, that's what did it.  I do want kids.  I mean, I'm pretty sure I do.  She didn't feel comfortable committing one hundred and ten percent to it right now, but hopefully the quiet admission would help him out some.  But that's a pretty big part of 'later', yeah?  It was probably selfish to want to push this off, and to ask him to be okay with her not wanting things completely worked out now.  She just knew that if she was going to do this whole thing with someone... mates, kids, the lot of it... she wanted to do it with someone who loved her.  It wasn't just about kids, it wasn't just about living together.  They'd love her travel, her stories, and yeah, her issues too.  She just needed to be sure that Eljay was that guy.

WC: 603

There was silence for some time. His breathing was steady but rapid while his brain screamed at him to specify what he meant and another part of his brain screamed at him to please not ever specify what he meant because surely it would freak her out and drive her away!

She moved her nose against his shoulder and he wished he could see her face. Then maybe he'd actually know what she was thinking right now. The world stood still while he searched for words and she either contemplated what he meant, was still trying to calm him down or was waiting on him to finish his damn sentence.

Just as the world seemed to start moving again and the tweets of a passing bird reminded him of time's existence and the fact he still hadn't finished his sentence, Maia managed to stop it again by her next words. I do want kids. In some way, the fact that Maia understood what he meant was bigger and more important than the actual words. Of course, hearing her say it meant a lot for him too, and hearing her say it calmly rather than in a freaked out about-to-dump-him way even more. But the fact that she knew what he was about to say, and taking that pressure off him, that was somehow the best of it all.

Eljay did notably calm when she said it. His breathing steadied and he nodded. Yeah, he agreed softly, clearly a lot calmer now even though many of the actual questions were still unanswered. Later, then... Even though Eljay wished they could decide it all right now. He didn't need any time to decide whether Maia was the one he wanted to be with; he felt he'd wasted enough time on that shit. Do... Did you and Wraen find uhm, are thinking of a place yet for winter? Is -- are you going to make a pack, or..? he asked, not really intending to change the subject but.. wanting to know what was up with her, at least, and what to expect. Even though perhaps this too was a part of "later", he couldn't help himself.

Apparently she'd said what he needed to hear, and she grinned against his shoulder despite herself.  It was good to sense him calming down and it felt even better to know that what she'd said helped in some way, big or small.  It meant that it was okay that she didn't have the complete picture yet, or all of the answers.  This past week had been a lot.  A lot of good in a lot of ways, but even a lot of good mixed with some bad was exhausting.  Her brain was completely down for skirting a few decisions, leaving a few boxes unchecked, and peacing out for a mini vacation here soon.

She didn't mind these next few questions though because they were variables still and easier to answer.  They didn't involve only her and definitely didn't involve any big steps like kids or... yeah, kids.  Not yet.  It's starting to maybe look like it, though.  I think Wraen really did like living with the Firebirds, for that while we were there.  Maybe not running it by herself, but the rest of it.  Her sister had seemed to really thrive with a pack like that and Maia was excited to see it happen again, even if it might take a while to come together.  We don't know where, though.

Maia paused for a second.  I grew up in a forest, but... I told Wraen not the forest, south.  Eljay would doubtless be able to figure out why she wasn't ready to scout it just yet, so she left it at that.  Still, it's hard for me to imagine home without picturing a lot of trees.  That forest was gone now, decimated by fire.  It was weird to think that this was that for him, and thinking about it that way made his happiness here make a bit more sense.

WC: 310

Seemed the choice of whether or not to make a pack was yet undecided. Eljay wondered if that made it different, and maybe it would. He'd run after Wiffle for Firebirds, after all... But it was different. He'd run from the Plateau, then, and he'd hated that place. This was Redhawk caldera. He wasn't sure he was ready to leave it so soon after finding it.

Yeah, I guess it'll take some time to find the perfect place, Eljay said softly and a little wistfully, betraying some of his doubts. He was feeling calmer now, even though he still felt anxious towards the future. What if he followed Maia, and their band never became a pack? But on the other hand, what if he lost her because he didn't?

Eljay nodded when Maia said that she couldn't imagine a home without trees. So you like forests? he asked, sort of a moot point as she'd just said it. He wondered if that meant she would never want to settle here. There were some trees, but it wasn't anywhere near a forest.

Yeah.  Forests remind me of home.  She said a little wistfully, but then she smiled.  It isn't really that hard to find a good place, though!  Wraen and I have lived in loads of different places and we've enjoyed them all.  It's more the ones you live there with.  Lost Creek Hollow had been beautiful, but so had Sunspire.  So had the plateau, and the copse, and even the sentinels despite their burned remains.  She brightened a little as she said this, and it was obviously soemthing that was almost a natural conclusion for her at this point.  She'd been a wanderer for too long for it not to be.

She realized after, though, that Eljay might not relate.  Was he worried that she didn't like it here, or that she'd fall in love with another place and want to stay here?  She wanted to relieve his worries, but when she thought about it, she couldn't.  Maybe she would fall in love with this new pack - moreso the ones who made it up.  Especially if it was a place made up of Wraen, Terance's children, and the family that she had.  She'd felt like an outsider here for so long, and it was a weird way to live after growing up in such a family-oriented environment.  A problem of her own doing, but she couldn't consider herself a Redhawk when she wasn't.   She'd had a family, and she'd lost them, but that didn't mean she was willing to toss them away and accept a new heritage.

A relationship with Eljay might allow her to keep both, but only time would tell.

WC: 271

Growing up in a forest was in many ways a lot easier than growing up in a Caldera. For Eljay, it was like.. would any place ever really match up to what he had here? Maia shared that it was more about the people, but Eljay disagreed. He'd considered leaving the Copse even before he knew that Maia actually liked him. He'd always felt like he just wasn't good enough for the others in his pack, as if they didn't see his value. Then why was it so hard now? The Caldera breathed home to him. And he was afraid that it would never be home to Maia. Would he ever be able to find a different place that was home to him, though..? Was there any other place that he wanted to raise children? He didn't want to put what he had with Maia on the line, but he also didn't want to roll over and give up on Redhawk Caldera.

For now he didn't say these things though. He was too afraid to discuss them and Eljay's tactics had always been to simply avoid it. The sunset is beautiful, he said instead, and he leaned into Maia's side as well as back into denial. Eljay nuzzled the fur behind her ear with a content sigh, happy to just stay like this and push all of his questions to the back of his mind, where they resounded, lonely.

Will it ever work? Should I go with her? Should I stay? Should I ask her to be my mate? What if I lose her? What if I never see her again? What if I'll be miserable away from the Caldera? What does Weejay want? Where will we be half a year from now? When is she planning on leaving?

He didn't push the conversation further, which was fine for Maia too.  She'd focus on one thing at a time, and now that this was settled, the next was seeing Wraen through.  Make a home, make a path, make a life.  One day... have kids.  Start a family, with Eljay, and really honestly be happy.  She felt his nuzzle and smiled, lighter at the thought of it.  Later, but not never anymore.  Just a few months ago it had seemed hopeless, the thought that anyone would ever choose to be with her.  It felt so far away now.

It is.  She gazed out.  There's a story about that, I bet, if you like to hear one?  It had been a while since Maia had stretched her storytelling chops, as she and Wraen had been leaning more poetry lately.  It was time to get those rusty wheels spinning, and she couldn't recall now if Eljay had ever really been subject to a true blue Maia storytime.  Most of theirs had been storytelling games, and the one she could remember had been a particularly awful time in her life.  Now, she thought of she and Wraen's poems around the seasons, and an outline of a tale began to form in her mind.

WC: 210

Eljay sighed as he leaned into Maia; though his thoughts were racing, he also felt that he could put all of them to ease for now. They would think about later later, simple as that. It didn't feel as simple as that, honestly, but at least being in the vicinity of Maia made him feel a lot less stressed about it, even if his mind was still racing at one hundred kilometers per hour right now. He wished he could look at her face right now, sure that it looked beautifully painted by the sunset's colours, but it was impossible because he was so close to her, so instead he looked out into the sunset itself.

Maia offered to tell a story, and Eljay said, Yeah, I'd like that. and he closed his eyes and leaned into Maia's touch while he waited for the story to start.

She settled in comfortably while she thought about which story she wanted to tell him.  She could do one of romance, maybe, but for some reason, a different one stuck out in Maia's mind.  Perhaps it was because it was one of her favorites, featuring a character near and dear to her heart.  She'd come up with this character out of the blue one day and developed it into a figure of legend, someone who featured in a deal of stories throughout Maia's repotoire.  Her origin, though.... that one came from the heart.

Back when we did our storytelling circle in the copse, I told a story about Amina Ice-Eyes, warrior of the north!  She put a little emphasis on it, then giggled.  But I never told you all how she came to be, or how she gained the bear's spirit in the first place.  That is a story from a long time ago.  She let her voice trail in that welcoming tone that always seemed to precede her mom's stories, back when she was small.  It drew her in and led her along until she couldn't help but become wrapped up in the tale.

Silvershard was the leader of one of the greatest packs of warriors to ever run the northern snows.  When the armies of the bear rose to push back the frozen horde of the fierce dragon Gaelspire, it was his help that won them the war.  The great bear king was so impressed that he called upon the Bear Spirit to grant any boon that Silvershard could wish for.  He was a powerful warrior with a host of noble wolves - what more could he want?  Yet when the Spirit asked, the wolf replied that he was missing one thing in his life.  He had no mate - he'd never desired one - and his only regret was without one he would never be gifted with a child.

The Bear Spirit took pity on Silvershard, as they knew the importance of cubs and loneliness without family.  The snow swirled at the warrior's paws... and from it burst a young wolf pup!  Her coat was as glittering white as the frost she'd come from and her eyes were the same bright, sparkling blue as frozen meltwater.

Maia found, as she told the story, that the poetry lessons had done something to her storytelling as well.  Even when she got into the flow, she found she wasn't really tempted to go back into her more colloquial style.  She smiled a little brighter as she continued, relishing this new flow.

He took her home and named her Amina, and as she grew, he taught her everything he knew.  From him she learned strength and wisdom, how to fight and how to lead.  But the Bear Spirit was a part of her to, and from them she learned creativity and optimism, courage and hope even in the face of defeat.  She pictured her own parents as she said this, as that was who she'd originally modeled them after.  Her dad, steadfast and sturdy, and her mom, who seemed to come from another place altogether.

Her father was still a strong leader, but he was glad to know that when he was ready, Amina would inherit and lead just as wisely as he did.  Her first test, though, came when she was barely an adult; when an evil spirit named Huris came and stole the light from the sun.

Here she paused for effect as well as to check how Eljay was enjoying her tale.  Sometimes she'd ask for an interjection, but this time, she wanted to give him a show.  Maybe next time they'd create something together.  If she remembered correctly, he was always more comfortable on the receiving end.

Besides, the first part had already been there! This next part would be pure improv.

WC: 642

Eljay listened to the story as Maia began to tell. He didn't entirely remember her telling any stories about Amina Ice-Eyes before, but Eljay nodded anyway as he didn't want to break up Maia's story telling. He was happy just to sit and listen, as he wasn't very creative himself but he really enjoyed the creativity of others a lot. Eljay smiled as she mentioned bears and dragons and he listened as he looked at the sunset and Maia's sweet voice told the story of the lonely Silvershard and how Amina was the child that he received in exchange for helping the bears.

When Maia took pause and looked at him Eljay just smiled at her encouragingly and waited for her to continue the story. He was happy enough just to sit pressed against Maia and watch the sunset together for now, forgetting about all the worries of the future again.

A glance was all it took to tell that he was still interested, and away she went again.  This part was going to take more thought since she'd never come up with anything like it before, but as she looked out at the beauty of the sun sinking lower, she got an idea.  The north has periods of darkness, but never one this long.  The night seemed to last forever and the cold became unbearable.  Amina knew that she needed to do something because if she did not, the pack would freeze.  So she went to her father and told him that she was going to go find the sun.

At first he wanted to tell her no.  He could tell that she was determined, though, and he couldn't go himself.  Knowing he had to trust that the training she had done so far had prepared her for this, he sent her with his blessing.  It would make sense for him to send someone with her, maybe, but Maia imagined Amina to be the fastest in the pack.  She ran through the long night as fast as her paws would carry her, following the path towards the edge of the western sky.  This was the place where the sun set and where she knew she would find what had happened.  It was a long and dangerous journey, but Amina was quick and smart.  She navigated the winter wastes, past the dangerous ice cliffs and the wild howling storms, until finally she arrived.

The sun was gone, but Huris was still there, warming himself on the stolen light.  Amina lunged for him!  He was not a strong spirit, but he was quick and crafty.  It was lucky that Amina had thought to surprise him, otherwise the spirit would have disappeared with the light and the sun would be gone to this day.  Her teeth caught the spirit's tail and she shook him, waving him to and fro in her jaws until finally he was forced to drop the stolen sun!

The light flew back up into the sky!  But in the process, some of the other things he'd stolen were shaken loose too.  The reds and oranges from the southern flowers, blues from the waters, pinks and yellows from the northern meadows.  All of these scattered across the edge of the sky, painting it with brilliant colors.  Before, the sun would simply disappear.  But now, as it sets, the sun lights up the many colors that Huris scattered when he lost the stolen sun.    Maia grinned as she finished, picturing the image of a wolf catching a spirit by the tail.  It was a pretty funny mental image.

And that is why the sunset is so beautiful, Maia finished, resting her head on Eljay as she did.  The second part wasn't her best work, she didn't think, but it was a cute little tale.  The ones that represented natural events were always harder for her... she enjoyed a story with a lesson to tell or a character who learned.  In this one maybe Huris learned a lesson, but no doubt he'd be back at it again.  Perhaps he'd try to steal something in another story and earn more consequences?  Or work with Amina to steal something from someone even worse.  Now there was an idea!

WC: 554

Whenever he listened to stories like these, Eljay always wondered if this was really true. Was it possible that someone like Huris actually scattered the colours that created the sunset? It seemed kind of far-fetched, but then again, Eljay realised that he knew very little about the world and that it was very likely there were a plethora of things out there that seemed far-fetched to him but that might very well be true. The enthusiastic way Maia told the story definitely added to its credibility.

That was a great story, Eljay said with a soft smile after Maia finished, while he still looked at the sunset. He decided to forget about all of his worries for a moment and to go back to the happy moments he wanted to share with Maia. You're great, he said softly as he leaned against her, a smile on his face that spoke volumes.

We can wrap this and have another when she gets back? which should be next day or so <3

Oh, good.  Maia smiled at the praise for the story, snuggling her face into him.  The story validation was amazing.  The personal validation?  That she was still getting used to.  Maia wasn't much used to getting compliments from anyone but Wraen and she still heated up anytime Eljay said anything remotely nice to her.

You're pretty great too.  She answered a little shyly, face still buried.  Then she turned, once again looking at the sun and the vibrant colors splashed across the sky.  If she had to pick, out of her life, a list of perfect moments, this one would definitely be on it.  She didn't know that moments could possibly come any better.

yes! <3

Eljay was content just watching the last slivers of the beautiful sunset disappear behind the horizon while snuggled up to Maia. This view would never grow old; the beautiful lake stretching out before him, the colours painting the lake beautifully. He knew for sure that this was where he wanted his children to grow up if he had more of them. This was where he wanted Weejay to teach them how to make a garden and this was where they, too, would someday watch the sunset, possibly with a special someone of their own.

Weejay's words echoed in his mind — he may have to choose, that dream or Maia, some day — but for now he ignored them and he enjoyed being snuggled close to Maia as she echoed his sentiment. No space for worries where they were right now.