Marlena followed Kasabian gladly, her large, creamy head just a step behind his golden shoulders. She drank in every inch of her surroundings as they walked, committing each tree and rock to memory, and enjoying the faint burn in her strong muscles as they made the uphill climb. It was a gorgeous place, and she was glad that she had been given the opportunity to see it. “No,” she replied, in answer to his question. Her mind thought back to her arrival on the Lost Islands, when she had been filled with excitement at the prospect of more adventure and exploration. Things had been put on hold, however, when she became pregnant with Kendry. The whole affair had changed her somewhat, at least for a time, and she had barely left the Prairie and then the Crossing. Now, however, with her son almost fully grown, she felt like she was returning to her old self. She was better for it. “I always planned to visit all the islands,” she explained, “but I got a little caught up with things before I got the chance.” They continued their walk in pleasant silence for a moment, and Marlena’s bright blue eyes continued to dart around as she admired every new sight and every slightest flash of movement caught her attention. At his words she dragged her attention back to him with a soft, warm smile. “That sounds pleasantly relaxed,” she commented. She paused for a moment again, tussling with her mind for a second before steeling herself and committing to the decision she had been thinking over for some time. “That was the reason I came here, actually,” she began, a little quietly in her nervousness. “Aside from visiting you, of course. But I thought that I might take you up on your offer, if it still stands – to stay here, that is.” |
