Gale
this is going to break me clean in two --
this is going to bring me close to you
She’s quiet after her soft whisper of surprise, but Gale knows what it looks like when someone is thinking, and he is content to give her time. He does not look away though, and instead continues to inspect her dark form until he is certain he has it memorized. Just as he does, she begins to speak again, and Gale’s softly furred ears turn entirely toward her. Her words started off softly, and he is determined to not miss them.
He really only hears the first half, when she tells him that she’d have stayed if he’d asked. He’s reminded, again, just how close he’d been to happiness. He’s no longer sure that had been the right choice, but he’s not sure enough to apologize yet.
She is no longer willing to do so, and reminds himself that time has passed, and it is only normal for things to change. His feelings have not - despite his best efforts - but Mazikeen’s life is different than it had once been. Different, but apparently not so different that she dismisses both of the options he’d suggested.
Yes, he nods, affirming her understanding of what he asks. Well, that’s not entirely true, so he speaks up lest he unintentionally mislead her.
“Well, I’d rather you come to Islandres.” She’d said she can’t leave Hyaline, so he supposes that she’d not been permanently ejected from that Pack for her temporary lack of shifting. Gale knows little of the hierarchy of the creatures that live in the mountains; cultural phenomena have never been one of his many interests.
“But if I have to stay here, I suppose I can adjust to your tiny little ocean.” He gestures at the distant lake with his whiskered nose, a smile at the edge of his mouth as if he is speaks of an enormous sacrifice. It’s freshwater, he knows, and probably far colder than the turquoise seas of Islandres. He is doubtful that Hyaline will measure up to Islandres in terms of creature comforts, but he is not here for comfort. He is here to make sure that someone is watching him, that someone will know when to stop him.
He is also here because he is tired of Seeing Mazikeen rather than seeing her, and because even frowning and frustrated at him as she currently is, there is no longer a cold cavity in his chest when he thinks of her. Instead there is a brightness he's not felt since the last time he'd seen her.
@[Mazikeen]
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