Wheeling Gull Isle by the sea

for the first time, heda realized the position she was in, looking up into the ruddy face of a boy who had once called her wifey. and when caracal moved to touch her, to feel the saltspun weave of her fur, heda stiffened.
her brow furrowed. but beneath the confusion her stomach knit with a mixture of so many things she could not hardly parse them! bartholomew and caracal and now daniil — her heart galloped so swiftly she felt it could be heard.
and because she wanted caracal to touch her so softly again, heda cleared her throat and slowly shimmied out from beneath him with a weak, polite laugh that flopped limply into the air. "crazy day," the island-dweller managed to murmur, shooting him an apologetic, interested, surprised look.