WC: 315 Sorry for the wait! Things have been super hectic
Even though the mood was light, Claudius could tell that they were headed for a more serious discussion. Terra laughed along with him, but then she paused, staring out at the gentle brook. She seemed to be thinking about something and since Claudius knew how difficult it could be to just come out and say something (indeed, it took him a lot of thought before he could say even a simple hello sometimes), he didn’t want to rush her. It wasn’t a long wait, for thoughts flew quickly in the mind, and Terra soon revealed her concerns. Claudius felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach when Terra explained that someone else had asked her to be her mate. He held still, waiting and hoping to hear that she said no. He didn’t quite get what he wished for, since it seemed as though she was confused. Now Claudius was confused, too—was she asking him as a friend or as someone to rival this other wolf?
“I—well… I-I g-g-uess… it ca-an… be hard… to know… if you-ou haven’t felt it befo-o-ore… and… there a-a-are a lot of ki-inds… of love… like the lo-o-ove fo-o-or a brothe-e-e-r… or a mo-o-other… or someone… else… maybe… you love them l-i-i-ike a friend… or… you’re just… afraid… of saying ye-e-e-es… because… it puts you in a… a… vulne-e-e-r-a-able… position. I-I guess… I don’t… ge-e-et too close… to a lot of f-o-lks… I mean, I do… but I don’t like to meet… new folks… a lot. It sca-a-a-res… me. Not as much… as it used to—I’ve go-o-tten be-etter… but… it can be hard… so… I would be scared too. I-It’s okay to be scared.” Embarrassed, too, but his own admission, he tried to look away and hide from Terra, but instead, he found himself watching her, his heart in his throat, waiting for her reaction.
Image credit: Artur; template from the mentors
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