Time passes, though she doesn’t count it in heartbeats or the slow measured breaths that she takes. Bits and pieces of dandelion fluff drift by her face, freed by little spring breezes that play with her darkened hair. Her eyes follow the fluff and seed pods; tracking their paths through the air. She almost smiles, knowing that she’ll be able to account for the dandelion-scourge that’ll pop up next year.
It never occurs to her to look to the skies for him. Of course he had started to master flying just before she left but Wander doesn’t think of these things; she’s too earthbound too care. Besides, there are just as many winged shadows racing over the ground as there are regular shadows that roll through the grass. And she’s too entranced by the dandelion bits that go floating by, like her thoughts and time and so, so much.
She doesn’t notice his landing, not until her name grabs at her ears and she focuses back on the meadow instead of on distant adventures. Her eyes brighten as his cream-and-blue self canters towards her and she charges to meet him, laughing and shouting his name, “Pteron!” Wander has only ever felt such rushes of happiness like this when she discovers something new, like a place or a token of such - twig, shell, or the like.
They come together in a gentle collision of color; necks wrapping around one another in an embrace. “You thought what?” She asks him, chuckling and grinning and thinking that she’s never been happier unless it’s scaling the tallest peak of shimmying down the slipperiest dune. He pulls back and she gets a good look at him - grown, handsome, clean and she laughs, knowing she must look a mess but she wouldn’t be Wander if she didn’t look like that.
She is curious about his unfinished thought but it’s easily forgotten in the midst of the kiss to her cheek. It sends a rush of heat through her, awakening that old childhood crush she’s always had on him and only him. Except she’s never mentioned it, their friendship is far more valuable to her than anything else. She just smiles, bumps him with her nose because she was never very affectionate unless it was with him, but she’s a little shy now and that’s new to her.
“I am so glad to see you too and I’ve missed you so much! There’s so much to catch up on, and I’ve got all the time in the world to do so. How about you?” She can’t imagine all the things he’s seen or done, or how they didn’t do them together but that’s neither here nor there. Wander is back for now and she’s in the company of her best friend, what more could she ask for?
@[Pteron] ❤️