Pale-furred fingers traced along the spines of the leather bound journals, the bookshelves lined with loose scraps of paper as well as the sketchbooks and notes. They were conversations, and artwork, and all the written memories of this life he had shared with his kindred spirit. Hati hummed softly, an old half-forgotten tune his mother used to sing when he was a child. Many seasons had passed since her loss, and Hati no longer felt the pain of bereavement when he thought of her now. Everything was different now. He no longer had to struggle to find his identity, to prove himself and earn ranks or titles. His life had been filled with a simple joy, a happiness he had never known before he'd met Edgar.
A gentle smile crossed his lips, the same smile he found every time he thought of the small dog. His soft, floppy spaniel ears, his delicate pink nose, the wise look in his copper eyes, everything about Edgar was so approachable and sweet. Edgar's goose companion had taken more time to warm up to Hati and his horses, but they all seemed to get along now. The mares Asagi and Luneth were peacefully grazing in the yard. His sensitive ears could pick up on the faint nickering as they conversed, the rustling of the autumn leaves as their hooves scraped at the ground to uncover the grass. They were all the things his beloved mate would never hear.
Edgar was deaf, and had never learned to speak because of it. When they first met, Hati had been surprised that one with such a disadvantage could survive on his own, out in the harsh and unforgiving world. He knew now that it had been unfair of him. Edgar had changed him, brought him confidence and love and peace from his own insecurities. All those hours he'd spent growing up with his nose in a book, he had never guessed that it was leading him to this -- a lover who could only communicate with the written word. He had learned to happily scrawl down his every feeling, penning his thoughts onto the endless pages of paper strewn about their cabin, and eagerly awaiting the quickly scribbled response. Hati saved them all, reread them some days when he was home alone or felt a yearning to relive a certain scene from their shared past. Like today, quietly flipping through the pages of a filled sketchbook, marveling at the delicate details of his love's artistic talent. Truly, he was the lucky one to have met such a special soul.
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