there is a gravity she feels as they stand side by side, looking over the vast landscape below the peak. she longs for so many things… her family, her old life and home, the sisterhood that she had found when she first came to the peak, and for kunžak. though he is right beside her she sometimes feels the stifling weight of loneliness. there is a rigidity to their relationship, a line that seems too bold to cross. she wonders if it is because they have both lost so much already that neither can imagine losing the friendship they have kindled thus far. either way she cannot seem to coerce her body or mind to follow the direction her heart has chosen. even as he stands by her side she can feel her body stiffen, bracing itself against the desire she feels to reach over and graze her velvety muzzle along his shoulder.

his thoughtfulness warms her heart and humbles her when she thinks of how lucky she is to have found him again. she considers his words carefully, nodding gently in agreement. she has come to care for the place. not just the rugged landscape, but what the peak itself stands for. it was a home for her when she had nothing and no one. she didn’t want it to be lost. perhaps he was right, maybe they should stay. it wasn’t as if there was anyone who would challenge the pair. and if they did, perhaps it would be time for bozena to step into a leadership position. she had heard, when she first came to the peak that leaders could have a companion. maybe, for a time, staying would be their best option.

she wonders if he stays by her side out of guilt, out of comfort or if he is drawn at all just to her as an individual. it is a constant question to her, an uncertainty that always causes her to wonder if he will grow tired of her company and search out something new. she shudders at the thought and pushes it away. her inky dark eyes drift away from the sprawling landscape below them and find his familiar and comforting form. perhaps you are right. there is no one here to challenge your presence and if the time comes, we can make alternative arrangements. she leaves out the idea that she may step up as the General for the sisterhood of the peak, knowing he might take exception to the idea of her coming to bodily harm to defend the place and its inhabitants. they would cross that bridge if they came to it.