Moonspear the smallest steps bring about the most lasting change.

Fig wanted to agree with her and tell her that he wished she hadn’t left. He couldn’t bring the words to his tongue, though. As heartbroken and angry as he was that she had done it, he could see now how well it had actually served him. He’d needed that space from her to finally build his own independence. He’d spent too much of his life basically living for her. He’d needed that push to finally learn to live for himself.

But how to say that without breaking her heart?

”I needed to spend some time on my own after what happened,” Fig told her gently, ”I left the Wilds and traveled for a while by myself. Took me a while to decide my next move. I’m not sure I actually would’ve ever taken one had I not run into Penn and gotten bullied into spending a few weeks traveling with him.”

”I’m sorry it took me so long to finally come home, and to come see you,” he said at last as he pulled back from her so he could better see her as they spoke. ”Mom and Dad wanted me to come with them, but I just wanted to come on my own. I didn’t want it to look like they were forcing us to make amends, like they did when we were little.” He grinned at that thought, hoping it might make her smile too.