"I just don't get it...Why doesn't he like me?"
"Perhaps it's because you whine too much."
The Colonel came out of the bushes in front of Avemaria. "I do not whine!" she said. The colonel simply rolled his eyes. Ave huffed. "Jade, you know how I liked him..." she said softly.
Jade walked to the cliff's edge and sat down. "The moon is looking lovely tonight, isn't it? So bright, so romantic..."
Avemaria frowned and nearly screamed, "You and your stupid moon! Why do I even bother talking to you?" She turned to walk away, but the directness of Jade's voice stopped her.
"Avemaria."
Jade hardly ever used her full name, and she grudgingly plodded over and sat down next to him, a bit more firmly than was necessary. They just sat there for a moment, and eventually Ave slid down onto her belly, with her front paws dangling off the cliff.
"I really thought he was the one, Jade. Why didn't he like me?"
Jade never took his eyes off the moon as he spoke. "I don't know, Maria. My years have granted me wisdom, not knowledge. I cannot read minds, and I can't tell you what he thought of you. I can tell you this, though: you cannot force or fake love. To do so would be like pretending you could catch the moon, and jumping off this cliff."
"Maybe I should."
Jade looked down at Ave. "What?"
Avemaria looked down her paws to the bottom of the cliff. "Maybe I should just jump off of the cliff right now and be over with it."
Jade looked back up at the moon. "Maybe you should."
This time it was Avemaria's turn to look at Jade. "What?"
Jade's face grew serious as he said, "Maybe you should jump down there and die. Though if you do, you may not die quickly. You may have to limp your way back up here and try again. Or you may die slowly of internal trauma. Either way, you then have a chance of being 'reincarnated' for one of the fear-walker's projects."
A chill ran down Avemaria'a spine. "Yeah, but then at least I might not have any memories of this life..."
Jade nodded, as if he found this completely reasonable. "But then when the one wolf who may meet your standards finally crosses your path, he may not be able to love a monster such as yourself."
Avemaria shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever find a guy who'll live up to my standards."
Jade grinned. "So aside from throwing yourself off of a cliff, what is your only other option?"
Avemaria sighed. "Lower my standards..." She hated it when Jade made her see logic.
Jade smiled and continued. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard, now should it? But more to the point on your current issue..." He laid down beside Avemaria and nudged her with his side. "You run such a tight ship on cleanness...You always yell at me when I roll in something dead to relive the savor of it. So why should you get to do the same with your pity and sorrow?"
Avemaria looked at Jade and smiled, despite herself. She rolled over on her side and began to doze off, saying, "Thank you, Jade...For everything..."
