It had pained her to stay away, there was no lie in that. It had been an eternal struggle to keep her distance in an attempt to foster independence, not only for herself but for Devit too. Without Pan, everything seemed all that much harder. He had his own business to attend to, though, she had to remember. It was just... difficult, almost daunting. However, now that she had gotten close to Devit once more, she felt much of that stress seemingly lift away like air. It felt good to just see him, particularly when he seemed to almost enjoy himself. It made her enjoy herself, her heart fluttering with a feel good lightness after so long spent worrying.

As she pruned away at him, she felt the slightest bit of tension radiating from him. It was only an inkling of uncomfortableness and yet, it had not been directed at her. She continued, then, pruning several more knots with delicate ease as he leaned into her. He had grown so much, a fact that brought yet another grin to her lips. At least, despite it all, he had begun to grow tall and strong, a handsome boy if there had ever been one. One day, she was sure he'd break somebody's heart. She'd need to prepare herself for that one. She fell into a content trance as she thought about the situation, only to be pulled out when she heard him murmur into her.

His words had initially caught her off guard. Her heart stopped for a moment before fluttering excitedly, her lips curled up into an almost toothy grin. She smiled down on him, twisting away slightly so she might meet his eyes with the warm honey of her own. With that, she placed a lick atop the crown of his head before settling her muzzle on top of his head in an embrace.

"I love you too, son. You have always meant the world to me. Did you know that?"

She paused for several minutes then, allowing herself to bask in the moment. Soon enough, he'd grow even taller and stronger. Soon, he'd break hearts and find new ones. Eventually, he'd become an adult and venture out into the world. She was sure of it. For now, however, she was content to merely pretend that he wouldn't. He'd always be her too-lanky son with fur that never wanted to lay flat.

"I'll always be here to look out for you, Devit; anything you need help with."