Caedwyn took the offered fish dropped at his paws and started to pick at it. She figured he would continue the conversation as he ate, but instead he remained silent intently pulling apart the offered meal. As he ate, Enya settled back down into a sit, waiting patiently. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, but turned her gaze around them otherwise, keeping an eye for predators besides them in the area. Soon enough the offered meal was eaten and Caedwyn had scales on his own muzzle to match hers. She felt his gaze shift to her and she turned to look at him back in full. Immediately, his gaze fell away. Was something up with him? It only made the nervousness she felt inside more potent. Her tail stopped swaying when he started to speak, her front paws shuffling nervously. ‘I’m tired of searching’. So. That’s what this was about. He was tired of helping her. He was tired of following her orders, despite her efforts to treat him as an equal and not a subservient in this new realm. It had been a huge ask of him. She knew this. Caedwyn owed her nothing and yet he’d still agreed to help her, even offered it. It had been a month. How could she just expect him to keep searching with her? This was it. He was going his own way. She’d be alone once more, still stuck and searching for the remnants of her past. Or so her mind told her in a split second as he lingered to elaborate. It was when his gaze caught hers that her mind stopped with its punishment. It was something in his eyes that made it stop. He spoke, elaborated his thoughts, and Enya sat silently listening. Trying to understand what he was saying to her. The anxiety in her simultaneously melted away and grew anew all in one split second. What… what was he trying to say here? Enya’s front paws shuffled faster as she subconsciously scratched marks in the soil beneath. The air around them seemed to thicken. The sounds of the jungle melted away and the space around her grew silent. The trickle of flowing water, the sounds of jungle birds, of the wind blowing, of distant calls of primates, they all disappeared into nothing. The only sound she heard at that moment was Caedwyn’s voice. He asked her a question she’d never considered. ‘What happens when you don’t find what you’re searching for?’ Failure wasn’t an option, she almost immediately spoke up. Before she could, before she could interrupt him and demand that despite his weak will, she would find what she was looking for, he made a statement. She suddenly realized that he wasn’t talking about Ridley or Buck or the rest of her family. He was talking about something larger. Something she’d been chasing her whole life, only to find bits and pieces of it through her time. ‘I want more for us. I want more than heartache and longing.’ ‘I want more for us’ What did he mean? What did that mean? Even Caedwyn’s voice vanished from her mind, a loud ringing sound taking over in her head. Her body was still. Her paws had stopped fiddling with the dirt. Her tail remained motionless as she stared at the wolf before her: handsome, faithful, always there when she needed someone. Loyal. Her teal eyes traced the scars on his face over and over again. They’d torn one another apart. She’d banished him. She’d ruined his life when she’d had the power to do so. Then she’d saved him. She’d told him that there’s more to live for. He’d watched from the shadows while she claimed her title as Queen of the jungle, watched while she had two mates of her own to galavant around with at her pleasure. He’d fought with one of them. Had this been an underlying reason why? Is that why Rin had become so aggressive during the encounter? Was it more than just a spat about rights and wrongs? She wanted to run. Every thread in her body was taut, ready to spring and bolt from the presumed confession. She wasn’t ready for this again. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still hung up on her past. Rin, her beloved Rin. He’d brought down the world for her, and even Tsillah could not consume his soul. Was he still frozen in place in the desert she had nearly died in? She’d convinced herself that Andromache had cast a spell on her, entranced her. Letting go of those feelings were easier. Meliodas had shown her a side of her she’d never considered before. Despite going their separate ways, she still longed for his warm winged embrace on occasion. Now here was Caedwyn, throwing a twist into her life. She couldn’t leave him in silence any longer. As quickly as her mind rushed and processed, she knew that it had still left a moment of emptiness between them. He had paused, expecting a response. So far, she’d said nothing, simply stared at him with shock. She shook her head, dropped her gaze, and the sounds of the world returned to her. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had to make sure she understood his meaning correctly. She had to make sure she wasn’t taking his words differently than he intended. When she spoke, her tone was low and careful. Guarded. “What are you trying to say, Caedwyn?” "Speech." |
A Small Flame Burns a Bright Candle