Spectral Woods I'll wish upon a star

@Luca please let me know if you'd like to change anything.

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

It had started again a couple weeks ago, that low itching beneath her skin that burned like sunshine even in the cold. Just like last year she craved company - but this time she was not so naive. She wished Woya had warned her at their parting, and yet Enera has been fortunate enough for nothing to come of her trysts the year prior.

She had been avoiding Luca as much as she could even as they slowly made their way towards the mountain together. It seemed they drifted there on unspoken agreement, perhaps to check on Leo, or perhaps so she might begin the search for her adoptive mother. Perhaps to visit Armand, who she knew was there. But it was here, at the bottom of the mountain, that she finally came to a decision and sought Luca out, remembering his soothing touch and how much better she'd felt after having met him last spring.

"Luca," she called softly, following his scent through snowy undergrowth.

That smell. It invaded his senses and dulled his intelligence. Although he had experience now, he welcomed the distance. He'd lost trust in himself with how easily he'd given in to instincts last year. Of course, Luca missed her closeness. Their mothers both had difficulties with labor and he could not bear the idea of losing Enera. This was just for the best as they made their way to the mountain. He let her lead, following her trail further back.

The muscular man slowed to a stop. Her perfume was growing stronger, his ears lifting curiously. Her voice called from nearby and he set in motion to find her. His brown eyes landed on the ever-beautiful woman that was Enera. He let out an affectionate rumble as he closed the distance. Luca hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out to nuzzle her. "Everything alright?" My love. He was not clueless to the evidence that they held differing feelings for each other.

"HE SPEAKS"

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

He responded as she appeared and moved toward her, the first time they'd been truly close to each other in what felt like forever. She appreciated that he had respected her distance, given her space. Now that they were together again, however, he smelled so much better, and his gentle touch had her shivering slightly. It was finally starting to warm up, even beyond the itching in her skin, but for just a moment she felt a soothing chill.

"...You remember when we met?" she asked quietly, knowing the answer, but unsure how else to start this kind of conversation. Maybe she should have simply initiated play and let instinct take over, like she had before, but this year she was trying to be more purposeful. Did she love Luca? She certainly cared for him, and enjoyed his companionship, and could even picture herself raising a child or three with him... but she wasn't sure if she would call what she felt 'love'. Maybe it was, and she simply hadn't experienced enough of it beyond her family to call it such. Even so, she wanted to be with him and she didn't want it to be an accident. She wanted both of them to choose.

He walks

"Of course...Snowdrop" The man drew closer, his voice hesitant. He stopped to where they were shoulder to shoulder and began grooming her. "If we....if you're asking..." He found himself stumbling over his words, "I need to know you're sure. That you understand we could be parents..." He trailed off while smoothing bits of her fur down. Hs anxious thoughts brought back what both of their mothers had been through. Would Enera struggle to? He would not deny her of her choice either way. Luca was nervous but he wanted her to be happy more than anything else.

PP with permission of Wild

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Enera looked at him with a small smile as he called her the nickname he'd given her a year ago. It had sent a flush of warmth through her then, and did so again now. She missed the little nicknames, like the "Little Dove" she hadn't heard in so terribly long, now. She missed her mama. So much would be different if she was here now - if she hadn't been taken away from them so brutally. Maybe if it was any other way @Marrah wouldn't have left. If Rhae had never died, maybe the Chasm would still be there.

She nodded slowly, even as her mind danced with the horror of finding her mama dead in a pool of her own blood, slick newborns mewling and prodding at her stomach for food, carrying them to Woya to beg her for help... "I understand," she said, running her nose along his side. "I can handle the risk, if it's with you."

She dropped into a play bow suddenly and danced away, a grin on her face. Enera led him away, and Luca followed.

FADE