Don't Be Shy

As the girl asked after Isa's home, the blue fae's ears pricked and she swallowed the piece of orange in her maw. "Oh yes, it's very far away from here. Over much land and sea." A deep sigh pushed from the woman and her icy eyes closed momentarily as she pictured her homeland within her minds eye. "The sun always shines on fields of golden waves. Warm breezes dance across your fur day and night. It's never too hot, nor too cold. There are deep, green jungles and long stretches of white sand as far as the eye can see. At night we watch colors dance across the skies and believe that it's the souls of departed loved ones hunting in the heavens." The woman sighed again, giving her head a shake and opening her eyes once more. She loved her homeland but there was nothing there for her but sadness and memories.

Andromeda wanted to bring Isa more oranges and the fae laughed aloud. "Don't do anything for me that will get you in trouble, sweet one. I will live without oranges, I promise you." Fate had proven to Isa that she could live without anything, sadly enough. Silence fell for a time as the pair ate the feast before them. Isa tried a bit of each meat, making soft sounds of pleasure once she absorbed each flavor. Whoever had made the meat was a very good cook.

Her mother went away. Sorrow struck Isa through the heart like an arrow and the fae's pale brows drew together as she listened to the girl speak. That didn't necessarily mean that the child's mother was dead, but Isa had a feeling that this was indeed the case. Andromeda's father seemed to be indifferent. Perhaps that was because he was suffering the loss of his mate; the mother of his children. Isa couldn't blame him for that. She knew all too well what that was like. "Perhaps your dad is just sad, sweet one. Sometimes silence is one's way of just trying to keep themselves in one piece."

Just when she thought the child couldn't get any sweeter, the purple girl graced her with one more gift. Isa's good paw moved up to touch her own chest, showing just how heartfelt the gesture was to the fae. She accepted the doll, ears tucking for the barest moment as Andromeda confirmed that her mother was indeed dead. The girl wanted this doll to make Isa feel better and it did, but it also made her feel so much more. The woman's pale eyes became glassy with tears and she smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sweet one. I already feel better." Feeling as though the child might need it, Isa gingerly put her weight on her splinted, injured leg and, with her good foreleg, draped it around the pup, pulling her into a gentle, loving embrace. They just met, but there was something about the girl that spoke to the motherly instincts within Isa. Maybe they both needed that hug in the end.

"Isa"