Arwen was sitting on a small rug of furs, bundled up into a sort of cushion shape to make it comfortable. She was weaving something, a few wooly deer skins beside her, patches of hair missing. She was braiding them into thin, tight braids, either to use as necklace chains or something else.

Her crown and shoulder ornaments were hung on the wall, the wall itself made from dirt packed together and hardened with wax, a knob of wood stuck into the wall to make a hook to hang both pieces from.

The faerie held up the thin thread and pulled forward a needle-thin piece of bone, a hole in the end. She'd made thread.

She picked up one of the skins, which was basically a hood (made from the head of the deer), the rest made to drape over the shoulders and back like a cloak. She picked up another section of skin and set it at the end of the first, and started to draw the braiding through the skin, layering the fur over the seam to hide it from view.

It was a gift, a beautiful gift to her beloved, a cloak of white and decorated in blue feathers. Blue's feathers, actually.

When she was done, she held it up, proud of herself. It looked pretty good, and all that needed to be done was to attach the feathers around the shoulders.

'I hope they like this...'

She spent a lot of time using her wax to glue and stitch the feathers into place, hunched over the cloak, long enough to reach Blue's shins. She wiped her brow and finally cracked off her mask, the last time she'd ever need to. She shook out her stiff limbs and smiled down at her work, proud of herself.

The cloak was white, with a hood that would allow Blue's ears to poke through, and draped over the shoulders with a mantle of blue, navy, and white feathers. To prevent the cloak from sliding off, she braided threads together until she got a thick braid, and looped the ends and tied them off, before making small buttons out of black wood and attaching them to either side of the cloak opening. She glued one loop of the braid over the one button, the other side meant to open and allow whoever wore it to unhook and hook it over the opposite button as they liked.

It was perfect.

"Trot of Sorrowed Fox!!", she cried, poking her head out of her den, "Come forth! I have need of you!"

@Redwood

as Arwen's call reached outward through the tunnel, no longer did the familiar beat of wings greet it in turn, but the chime-like clunks and creaks of wood. Blue could not deny their disappointment when it came to no longer being able to fly. the wood-like prison couldn't even give them that.

soon they would walk into sight, climbing into the den. tilting their head. "yes, my love?" they twittered, although only faintly muffled.

their armor had grown by alot. by now the only thing uncovered was their right eyes, the rest a cage with no promise of leaving now or ever. their tone was sad, as it had been for weeks now. not much could cheer them up, save for arwen.

they peeked briefly at arwens handiwork, both the project behind her and the den itself. it was nice, really. and whatever she'd been working on also seemed interesting. "you've been busy, dear" they said thoughtfully.

@Arwen

Arwen scuttled forward and eagerly met Blue in the entryway, cooing softly, her face exposed rather early for a molt. She nuzzled them gently and clicked her mandibles, saying nothing as she turned around and picked up the cloak, holding it up, her face splitting into a grin.

"I made this for you!", she cooed happily, holding it out to Redwood and smiling wide, before her face fell and she drew the cloak in, surprisingly vulnerable, "I know that you can't fly anymore, and it's so cruel for the world to give me wings and take yours away, but I thought that at least you'll still have your pretty feathers."

She draped the cloak around their shoulders and carefully clasped it close, gently pushing down stray fur that had collected static and stood up straight. She reached up and put a hand on Blue's cheek, smiling sadly.

Her eyes were starting to lighten and turn a pale blue with the molt, but they still had plenty of time. She wanted to spend the last moments before she had to molt with her lover.

@Redwood

Blue let out the smallest gasp as arwen held out the cloak in front of them. claws reached out to run through its fur, they tilted their head as arwen drew it away.

the eye still visible softened, as blue twittered softly. "oh, love...." they chirped, snuggling into it as she draped it over their shoulders. even if they couldnt exactly feel it at the moment, the sentiment near made them cry. they sniffled, oh so softly, the first time they had cried in a long, long time. only arwen could do these things to them, though they weren't surprised anymore. "i love it... so much.." they whispered. their voices full of emotion, wavering out of sync.

they leaned into her hand gently, raising their own to meet hers on their cheek. "you have no idea how much this... YOU mean to me, arwen... i love you" they chirped. they'd always known they loved arwen, and perhaps its always been like this. but as the time passed and they grew, every time they had said it, it felt more real. and truly, they did. with every fiber and feather of their being, they loved her.

"i apologize, i had not made you anything you could keep like this, but... i had thought.. oh its silly, truly" they said, sighing in embarrassment. they didn't know if what they had done was anywhere near something like this. Arwen really outdid herself.

@Arwen

Arwen bumped their foreheads together and wrapped her arms around Blue's shoulders, "Don't cry, baby Blue... I love you."

She snuggled into the front of the cloak and hugged Blue tightly, swaying gently, "You don't have to make me anything. You don't have to do anything but be yourself, because I love you, my darling, my beautiful Bluebird."

She cracked as she pulled away, hissing in discomfort before shaking it off. Her molt was never pleasant, but the feeling of being whole afterwards was amazing.

"Nothing is silly when it comes to your feelings," she said, "Your feelings are always valid."

She thumbed against the keratin threatening to take over Blue's face, missing the feeling of dragging her fingers through their feathers, of nights under the Eridanus trees, hiding from the rain. When she was so small she could sit atop the other's shoulder. Now it was almost the other way around.

@Redwood

Blue couldn't help but cry, really. they tried to stop, but really. they leaned into the touch, a shaky sigh escaping them.

they smiled, though arwen couldn't see it. "sometimes i fear the truth that i could have never met you, under the smallest circumstance... died before you even hatched" they admitted, voice small. "when i hatched, i almost drowned... fell from the very ceiling of pisces into its raging lagoon, i almost drowned myself in panic... had it not been for another i very likely would have done so.... how pathetic, is it not, for a creatures first words.... to be pleas for help..." they shivered, leaning down into arwens shoulder. "i'm so glad that i did not, but the feeling of being so.. trapped in this... wooden cage. its like being stuck there again, without my wings. should i fall...?"

they curled up on themselves as arwen began to crack. it had been so long since they had met. blue almost missed it.

they tried to smile. "i had tried to write a song for you, love... it didn't turn out quite as i hoped, however.. could never get the tune quite right.."

@Arwen

Arwen rubbed their faces together, her pretty blue eyes heavy with emotion, "I would say I wish I had been there, but at the time I doubt I would have done much good."

She'd have brushed their feathers from their face if she could, but alas, they were hidden under the wood-like shell that was slowly making her mate disappear.

"Sing for me," she begged, "I do not care for what it sounds like. I care only for who sings it, and that's you, Blue. My Blue..."

She herself was crying, tears flooding in her eyes and falling down her cheeks, "I nearly died too, so I guess we have that in common. When I caught the deer for Rain I angered the guardian of that wretched cave... she cornered me, a child! And she nearly killed me for a deer."

She scoffed, even now, before laughing, wiping her eyes, "I-if you can forgive me for that, then I can forgive you for nearly dying before we met. At least we are here now, yes? Together, me and you, until the end of time."

@Redwood

Blue listened to arwen speak. rage flickered in their veins for such a terrible creature, hurting their beloved like that, and they hadn't even known. guilt simmered in their heart but they nuzzles closer into arwen, tears flooding down now, with barely a whisper to accompany it. "we're both here. that is all that matters. forgive me, for not being there to protect you like i promised, but.. we are here. together" they chirped, wiping tears away from arwen's eyesgentle as they could.

they cleared their throat. "forgive me if the tune is off, my dear.. as i said, it was difficult finding one that worked, and... well, hold on, let me try...." they chirped, moving back for a moment.

they moved their claws up to their face, coughing away the tears for a moment. digging their claws into the armor, it gave an awful creak, blue audibly wincing as the armor gave out with a loud ccrACK.

the muzzle was broken open, partially, allowing for more noise to get through.
they sighed, voice broken with slight pain. "better. now, where was i?"

they cleared their throat, trying to get the words to come to them once more.

"Oh fair and flighty love
My aerolite above
The only dove I see
Could you love me more
If by the sun and moon I swore
That I would never flee?"

their voices seemed to harmonize, if only for a moment, wavering with emotion, voice soft yet smooth. they moved closer to arwen, resting tired claws on her shoulders.

"Well, I still taste you on my lips
Lovely bitter water
The terrible fire of old regret is honey on my tongue
And you know, my dear, i love you
You know, my dear, i love you
oh I do"

they hummed the tune lightly, tapping claws, hopeful eye staring into arwens many.

they coughed, embarrased, after a few beats of comfortable silence. "w-work in progress.."

@Arwen

(NOTE: song is Bitter Water by The Oh hellos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGGJJjiESpc )

Arwen cooed and hugged Blue gently, "That is all that matters. Despite pain and suffering we are a constant in each other's lives. "

She folded her hands together, head tilted as she listened, her limbs turning to stone as Blue ripped their armor off so they could sing better. Tears were brought to her eyes as she listened, and she struggled to move forward, mandibles reaching out.

"It's beautiful," she sniffed, "I love it, my Blue."

Her eyes turned grey and she stopped before she could reach them, stiff and still for a moment. Her face very suddenly split in half, a mask appearing before immediately falling off, Arwen's beautiful face appearing, with yellow and black markings, long golden hair, and sapphire blue eyes.

She crawled out of her shell with wings and soft, fuzzy fur, her arms long and fingers delicate, a fully fledged adult.

"I love you!", she cried, throwing her soft limbs around Blue's shoulders, kissing them like there was no tomorrow, tears rolling down her soft cheeks, "I love it... I love you."

Arwen was so touched! She almost couldn't believe she was so lucky as to have Blue all to herself. She crawled out of her shell and snuggled up to them, head ducked into their shoulder.

"I hear you," she mumbled.

@Redwood