His head fell to the side as she spoke. It took the shadow a moment to process what she had said; suggesting. His toes curled uncomfortably. The thought of being with Kyna permanently was a joyous one. To no longer have clandestine meetings and go days—weeks—without seeing each other. However, when he envisioned their future together, it was with the strawberry blond on the monadnock with him. Not south. Not anywhere near his birth pack… the pack he had left behind for the north. “Greer and Ky,” he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. Could they really be together, here?

While his feelings toward the scarlet girl had not changed he had changed since his time amongst the willows. The move north had helped the shadow find purpose. Greer had put his case of wandering paws to use at the monadnock as he pursued the role of scout. He had become useful.

The pause lengthened as silence cocooned them, his mercury gaze focused on the swirling colours overhead. He was frustrated at himself for being so torn. It should be easier than this, he thought bitterly to himself, his teeth grinding together.

Kyna, choose Kyna.

Since their first meeting she had been a constant in his life—being separated from her, and possibly fraying their friendship, caused his heart to ache. “Make work.” How badly he wanted to make things work. “G-Greer…” he started, his voice trailing off as he kept his nose pointed to the sky, “yes. Make work.” He chewed, nervously, on his lower lip. But what would Morganna (and Craw) think of him leaving? He did not want them to feel betrayed, or to leave on bad terms. They were far too important to him (like Kyna) to leave without an explanation. His chest heaved as he began to realize the conclusion he was coming to, his features softening. “Greer want Ky,” he started, his cheeks growing warm. “With Ky.” He stopped, growing irritated with his own speech as he struggled to find the words to explain the thoughts bouncing around his skull. “Here. Greer with Ky here.” He breathed sharply through his nose, only growing more frustrated with his lacklustre response. “When?” A bitter taste began to form in his mouth at the thought of leaving Whitestone, but his heart soared.

Finally he glanced down at his scarlet friend, his nose pressed against her forehead. This place was no monadnock, but with time the shadow would learn to appreciate it. As long as he had Kyna, he did not care where he was.