fading away

As she expected, Haiku tried to deny her offer of staying with him til the end. He said that he had Prose and Bowen chuckled softly. "You do have Prose, but you also have me. I love you, Haiku. I wouldn't dream of letting you do this alone." She did love him. She loved him more than she loved most others. More than once she had regretted her decision to let him free, but it still wasn't fair to be second to someone else. He had deserved the opportunity to find someone that would hold him higher than any other. Haiku hadn't found that, but from now until he passed, Bowen would hold him higher than he'd ever been.

"Shall we clear out one of the old dens to stay in?" Bowen motioned for Haiku to follow her, pushing his mortality out of her mind for the time being. Bishop, her own raven, flew down to land upon a nearby branch. His voice crackled as he told her that the area was clear, having scouted the plains reflexively. He bobbed his head at Prose, then took off to the skies again. Bishop was always on the lookout.

Having been there before, Bowen located the den that they had spent time in together so long ago. It was a bit of a mess, but she immediately set to work tidying the place up. She would have to gather wood for a fire since they didn't have any furs handy, but she would trade for furs later. They would need them.

"Bowen & Haiku"