Her smile hitched with a gentle sympathy at his hesitation. How complicated that one word had become, for all of them. They stood together quietly while the water sloshed comfortingly beyond them. She continued her grooming of his thick striped pelt. It was so different from other's hair, soft and still carrying some memory of Loess in it's depths.
The sea mare bent her knees to lay beside her feline son, warm in the sand. Her brilliant purple eyes blinked at him with soft love. "I think so too, kitten." She nodded, pride filling her for her sweet-souled child. They would relearn their place in the island, one day at a time, together. She felt confident that her boys were capable of the transition.
The warm glow of happiness illuminated her heart, and it seemed that she had made the right call despite the misgivings she'd been having. And a small part of her, the selfish part, knew it was the only call she could have made. Her heart broke for her friend, for their sons. She could not, however, make herself regret removing her own children from such a tumultuous environment. Their safety came first, always. That uncertainty, combined with her growing guilt at the neglect of her own home's needs had finally become enough to send them home.
That responsibility was meant to be shared, though. A sighing note hummed from between her lips as she considered that notion. He was growing, faster than she could believe most days. As much as she loved their home isles, the boys now knew the rest of the world was out there. She wouldn't keep them from it.
Stretching a long leg out on the sand, she looked at Halcyon for a moment. "When you've gotten your bearings back, what would you say to doing some work for the island?" She asked slowly. He would excel at it, she already knew, but only if his heart was in it. Only if he were truly involved.
@[Halcyon]