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"Haunted, no. I believe I have now come to terms with what had passed. After all, it has passed, and there is nothing I can do to change that. For I love you, too, Ian." She stopped walking and turned to face him. They were in a small clearing, though the only sunlight they had was still patched by the thick canopy.
"And I'd far rather be a selfish fool with you than to wallow in self-pity alone."
Her deep eyes shone in their shadowed brow.

Emerwyn's heart swelled. This was where she belonged. How could she have forgotten?
Human Nature... It was one of the most beautiful things he could have said to her. And his eyes told her the same. She loved him as he would if he were human. She knew now that it did not matter that Ian happened to be a deer like she was. Even if he was a hideous carnivorous lizard, she would still love him. She had first met Ian, and he was so afraid that he had frightened her and Colche. They had connected that first interaction they had; she was sure of it. And at the time, they were both wholly human.
Never again would she question her feelings.

"Ian, let us sit here. I like this place. We can rest here together, and tell each other stories."

Emerwyn curled up against Ian comfortably, nestled in his embrace, listening to his soft and gentle voice.

Emerwyn herself had no woods. She was rarely allowed outdoors to play as a youth, then she moved to the city, where the only woods were tall thick buildings, and a park which offered little solice from the noises of the modern world.
"Did you move away from that place, then, after he passed?" She asked, prompting him to tell. She had known that Ian's brother was dead, but that was all she knew.

"I lived in the city myself," Emerwyn said, feeling that the time had come to remove the conversation from the touchy subject of death.
"I may have told you, I spent my entire childhood in Surrey, beautiful wide land. But I was trapped all the same. I know I have not told you much about my own parents. You see, I do not - did not keep in touch with them after I moved away, to my own city. I thought that New York would free me. There was much to see, to do, opportunities I had only before read about. But I had trapped myself that time. I was only just preparing to escape when all of this happened.
I suppose my escape found me."
She placed her own arms around him, looking at him lovingly.

It wasn't in the least bit awkward to kiss Ian, Emerwyn decided. Technique seemed to have come naturally for the both of them, somehow.
"And finally, I know that I can agree with you."

The two spent the day there together. There they ate, and went to the nearby river to rehydrate themselves. Quickly they would return though, back to their own grove, their place. It was now marked as sacred.
Sooner than either of them would have expected, it began to grow rather dark.

She nodded. "I like it here."

She had indeed spent much time in the jungle, and had only recently discovered this little spot. When she was reunited with Ian, she knew it would be the perfect place.
Of course, she'd have to stop by her duplex now and again. This place was to remain private, so she was not going to set people about bringing her news, notes and the like here. No, in fact she was already expecting a gift from dear Newton any day now. She would have to return the favor.
But here, here was home.

Emerwyn slid down 'till she was laying in the underbrush, giving Ian the prompt to follow suit. She wasn't particularly tired, but to lie with Ian was something she missed greatly. His eyes had never glowed so much as they did that night.

Emerwyn's reply was a silent one as she fell into Ian with ease.
Now they really were in that beautiful green place she had imagined the last time they had shared a bed. And this time, Emerwyn was not afraid. The sensations she felt were no longer new to her. This did not make them any less thrilling, however.
She touched his chest caressingly, as the softest breeze rustled through the leaves. Now she remembered something new.

"Do you remember, Ian, when I woke up in your arms, out here?" She asked in a sweet whisper. "I was so afraid then. I did not know what I was to do. You were sleeping there-" She smiled. "and you were missing all of your clothes."

Emerwyn laughed, and it was so soft it was as though she were only breathing.
"Much has happened since then," she went on. "I am not afraid anymore. I came to live with you. It was such a sweet time, to wake up every morning by your side. And when I was ill, you nursed me back to health." She stroked his hair in gratitude.

Light had now nearly gone completely from the sky. It was quite dark; night had fallen.