My heart keeps racing

No sooner than she had soothed her mind and committed herself to staying within Fiori's territory, vowing to herself that she would not be afraid, someone had found her. As he called out to her to alert her to his presence, she flinched like she'd been struck, and turned her head tentatively to see who was there. It was Quelt; why had he come? Had he followed her scent here? The paranoid thoughts ran unchecked through her mind. Was he taller today, more massive than he had seemed when she'd first met him? It would be too easy for him to take advantage of her. Or did it only seem that way because of the bolt of terror that struck down her spine? Maybe she should have run away; she didn't know if she could handle this. Silver eyes flicked rapidly over his black mask and scarred features, shortened breaths coming just as quickly.

Then his voice came softly, just enough to be heard over the falls - somehow through the oppressive, uneasy cloud that had overcome her, her mind was able to retrieve the memory of his gentleness on their first encounter. The way he faltered with anxiety just as she did. And at Fiori's last meeting, the pups had swarmed to him as though drawn to him for some reason. Although the reminders did not fully put her at ease, as her legs began to tremble with the effort of holding her ground, it was enough keep her there. "P-please do, Quelt," she responded quietly to his request, forcing herself to look up at him. She offered a small smile as her ears folded back, then she looked away, trying to swallow the fear, blinking as tears tried to form at the corners of her eyes. She wouldn't run. She wanted to believe that Quelt was exactly the soft-spoken, friendly man she'd met, and that he had not come to bring harm upon her. So she stayed, her tail softly thumping the ground as she invited him to come sit. "H-have you settled into Fiori?" she asked, trying not to let her voice waver as she tried to start conversation, waiting for the man to join her.