Although Ara knew she had a lot on her plate, she didn't mind contributing even more. She felt she ought to do more for the pack in general, perhaps offer healing lessons for the younger ones in the pack, if there was any interest or need for her skills. Besides this, she knew there very well might be a time when she would have to care for Steel, as well as continuing to care for her parents and soon, for Novel's children. It was something she would gladly do; her circle of friends was quite small and she rarely left home these days, except to collect herbs from neighboring lands. It wouldn't be a burden, but rather something she looked forward to, so long as Novel accepted her help.
Instantly she wondered if she ought to have said nothing at all. Her feelings for Novel were strong, almost overwhelming, and she didn't know who else she could talk to. There was no need to burden her parents with her confused thoughts. "Nothing's wrong," she told her quickly, shaking her head as her muzzle fell to the earth. "It's about Novel though." How might she phrase this? For a moment she would shuffle her paws, overcome with worry at how she might sound, still questioning if she should even admit this to anyone at all. "I think..." another pause would follow, her breath catching in her throat. Why was something that felt so right, so difficult to admit? These feelings were foreign to her and she couldn't help but wonder if she was simply overreacting. "I think I'm in love with Novel." Though she wasn't afraid of the feelings not being reciprocated -- she hadn't even thought about telling her yet, in the midst of all that her friend had been going through -- she really worried that her confession might ruin what they did share, and that was terrifying. "I'm not sure what to do, if anything. I just thought telling someone might help it make sense." The girl felt her heart hammering in her chest, instantly feeling regret sink in; it felt strange to admit something so raw and personal to Novella, and she was afraid of what she might say in return.
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