WC: 700+
OoC: Sorry for the wait! Since it's dated back to March 3rd, maybe just a few more posts?
Their mutual pace slowed, and Coli found that she felt more relaxed the slower they went. She could let her mind wander more as the breeze carried scents to her nose, and her erratic heartbeat had a chance to calm itself in between flirtatious comments. "Seems like it's always the hardest way," she agreed glumly. Was there ever an easy way to learn what you wanted, or what someone else needed? They couldn't tell you unless they knew themselves... and Coli certainly had no idea. What purpose could she serve in life, being so introverted and timid? She had wanted to talk with Cercelee, to ask her dear friend what she had been up to during their long separation, but she wanted Cer to approach her, not to make the first move herself. And as such, they were only drifting further apart, like the wispy clouds that fell apart in the windy sky. Coli had never known how to ask for what she needed.
"You have a garden?" she asked suddenly, interested. And then her ears flicked back in a cringing movement, realizing seconds too late that he had been speaking metaphorically. Of course he didn't have a real one, and neither did she, because everything died in the winter. They had to wait for everything to melt before it would be safe to plant anything. Sankor was caring and intuitive enough to care for plants, sure, but it was foolish of her to assume that he did so. Besides, that was such a feminine hobby! She had probably insulted the guy.
Colibri bit her lip, listening to his hesitant words with sympathy echoing in her baby-blue eyes. The fears he admitted to were the same as hers. She had more, irrational and logical, but the deepest ones were the ones that Sankor had just openly owned up to. "S-same here," she murmured weakly, surprised that such a confident wolf had the same worries as someone like her. Did that mean she could act that way convincingly? Or did it mean that no one ever moved past such troubles, regardless of disposition? "I get a lot of disapproval from my family, but... I don't know how to change for them..." Her voice trailed off gloomily. Auntie Mew had been welcoming, but only to a point. Haku had never been warm. Her late mother's pack had rejected her merely for her heritage. It was hard to find comfort in being related to anyone, when they did not offer her any of the advice or support that even a stranger like Sankor could.
"A thistle?" she repeated, his odd words forcing a smile to her face.
"But Sankor, you have to be a sunflower! You're so bright, and, you bring a smile to everyone's faces, and... y-you're tall..." she trailed off again, fearing she might have overstepped a boundary by speaking thusly. Should she have offered her own brand of flower instead? She had no inkling as to what she would be in the world of botany. Except a dandelion, or some other common weed, often trampled underfoot.
He gazed innocently at the sky, feigning naivety but not letting her lame excuse pass him by all the same. Her frown deepened, trying to muster the same false confidence to continue arguing. Was she having fun by herself? No, not really. She was too worried that she would run into a stranger. And she did. And it turned out, he was a nice guy... so everything had worked out all right in the end. Her dainty paws crunched through the snow as she wandered a few more paces, licking her lips nervously before attempting to answer. "I... suppose we traveled further together than I would have alone," she conceded, and it wasn't only physical distance she spoke of. His patience must be boundless, though, to have put up with her indecisive dithering for so long. "That doesn't mean I n-need polishing and care, though. That's just silly." She snorted, arching her tail up in a silent victory wave. She wouldn't waste his time, not when his sunny words and shining optimism could be put to better use on others. She had been shy for too long to fix it now.
