She can’t help wondering what’s on his mind.

When she is next to him and the world is quiet except for the chirp of crickets, the hum of cicadas somewhere far away, she becomes curious. He smells like the dirt, which was her first love when she was a young filly in the mountains. She curls her tiny hand against his chest. Echidna has always felt small next to him, not only in size but in almost everything. He has known and existed far longer than she has, his lives have been filled with more sorrow and happiness than she would ever be able to understand.

He was a creature beyond her, really. Echidna might not understand every aspect of him but she understood enough to know how easily they worked together. Or maybe it was enough to make all these issues bubble up.

When he speaks, she tilts her head up. Dark eyes look at the underside of his jaw, the movement of his lips. Echidna can feel the electricity on his fingers, the currents prickle the hairs on her arm and make her skin tingle. What could she say to him? This was a question he often posed, wondered about when he became unsatisfied.

“I think,” she says and takes a deep breath. Echidna shifts to prop herself up on one elbow so she can look at his face, her other hand splayed against his chest. “You’ve been hurt and disappointed and you’ve forgotten all the good things.”

She kisses him quick and soft.