The full moon cast its light over the ground below. A canopy of trees hung overhead. The winged creature stood in a large stream of light which hit the forest floor. She stood tall, raven hair, dark winged, pale skinned. Her wings were the color of midnight, reflecting highlights of violet and navy. The creature had human features, arms, legs and a soft feminine face. Some might mistake her for an angel, but in this world, there exists no such beings.

She haled from a small clan of forest folk knowledgeable in war and peace, in science and magic. There were not many of her kind left, so they often struck out from their sanctum in search of others suitable to share life. Cross breeding was never a concern, so long as they were able to hold the light of their partner’s eyes. However, tonight’s outing was not to find a mate.

She enjoyed her evenings meandering through the forest and communing with nature. This night under a full moon was ideal for observing her favorite nocturnal fowls and beasts. She moved through the trees steadily, missing the twigs and branches scattered on the floor, almost as if she floated through the forest. Her empire waist dress fluttered in the breeze, its translucent dark lace complementing her wings.

The forest floor became covered with a light mist as she approached the lake. A fallen trunk made the perfect seat for her to sit absorb the night air. In the distance, a doe wandered up to graze and sip from the lake. She watched her intently and smiled when a larger buck stepped up beside the doe. The mated pair nuzzled a moment, then retreated back into the forest.

The moon reflected in her dark eyes. From above, an owl hooted and then took flight over her head and across the lake. Its shadow appeared in the ripples in the water. She watched it disappear over a distant ridge. She longed to follow it off to the distant lands on the far side, to explore a new world. She stood up and stretched her wings. It had been years since she last took flight.

The sun was not up yet, but Suzy was. She heated up some water and began brewing a warm cup of tea for herself. She slipped back into the bedroom and changed from her nightgown into some workout pants and a long sleeved shirt.

She heard the timer go off from the kitchenette, completed making her tea and checked in on Rich. He still laid in the bed, sleeping. She went back into the living area of the cabin and curled up on the sofa, flipping through her phone to catch up on news and a few emails.

A soft knock came from the door and startled her. She plodded her still-sleepy self over to the door and looked out. Steve was standing there. She smiled, then opened the door and looked out. “Hey, what are you doing here, especially so early?”

He looked down and fidgeted his hands nervously, then looked up. He slid his hands into his pockets. “Can we talk a minute?”

She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she didn’t want to wake Rich either. “Hold on, let me slip on some shoes.”

Suzy found Steve pacing on the front porch, much like she had done a few days earlier, when she stepped outside. There was a chill in the air, but it wasn’t too cold for just long sleeves. “Want to sit, or walk?” she asked, seeing him pace.

He led the way down the stairs and they headed down the parking area and over to the fire pit. He took a seat on the edge of the pit while Suzy sat opposite him. Suddenly Suzy felt uncomfortable.

“Suzy, you told me you’d be here this week. Do you remember?”

She looked at him. She remembered their email exchange and did say she’d be out here, but not where they were staying. She blinked and looked at him confusedly.

“I took a chance,” his eyes locked with hers, then took a long pause before continuing, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

She smiled a sad smile and extended her hand, touching his lightly. “I’m glad you did. I’m happy we were able to reconnect in person.” Then Suzy hesitated and stumbled over her words a moment before continuing, “Do you know how many times I wished I had the courage to drop everything, walk away, to take a chance.” A tear rolled down her face. “But I didn’t. Not only was I not certain, but I also knew I couldn’t interfere. I just pulled back and hoped with all my heart that you were happy with her, happy being a father to those two beautiful girls of yours.”

He looked up, his eyes red. She’d seen that look before in his face in their past.

“But, then I had to find a way to move forward. I grew so lonely. He is good to me. It isn’t all that I dreamt of but….” She nodded her head towards the cabin. “Well, I’ve never been the one to call things off, to walk away, to end things. It’s my weak spot.” At this point, both of their eyes were filled with tears.

Steve shook his head, “I know. I think its why….” his voice trailed off and he tried to look away.

They both just sat there, saying so much without saying a word, for several minutes. Finally he stood up as the sun started to glow in the early dawn. “We’re heading home today. I wanted to see you before we left at least.”

She stood up across from him and they embraced in a hug.

Softly he whispered, “Still do.”

She whispered back, “Always will.”

With that, they stepped back from each other, and walked back to their respective cabins, both fighting the desire to turn around, knowing if they looked back, the moment would be even harder.

---

Rich and Suzy headed out early in the day for their adventure deep into the heart of Yellowstone. They found their way to Jenny Lake and boarded the ferry. The skies were a beautiful blue, lightly dotted with cirrus clouds and the lake was calm.

The ferry skimmed across the water for their brief boat ride. They pulled into the dock and offloaded with several others to find their way to the trails near by. Suzy took Rich to the side, letting the more experienced hikers head up and to allow them to have a little space before they tried to find their way to Inspiration Point and Hidden Waterfalls.

Slowly they made their way up the trail, well behind the throng of hikers. They took their time, not as skilled, carefully navigating some of the more moderate sections of the trail. It definitely was a more strenuous hike than those on the flat areas by the coast.

Suzy stopped to take photos along the way, appreciating the various vantage points. Rich caught up with her when she stopped and took in deep breaths of air, one of his habits she grew to appreciate through the years, although she wonders if he’s actually okay from time to time. Rich points out a view over Jenny Lake. It relaxes both of them before they carry on.

They reach Inspiration Point, but it was extremely crowded. Suzy was uncomfortable around the throng of bodies; she hoped people would have already moved on. She liked quiet walks, not tourist central sites. They enjoyed the view for a few moments and then moved on to find a small spot to enjoy lunch.

After the hike, they headed back to their cabin to freshen up and relax. Suzy found her way to the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit. She took a seat, facing their cabin, and began scrolling through her photos.

A shadow came overhead and a voice spoke up, “That’s a great shot.” Steve was behind her. He walked around her and sat down in the seat next to her. “How’ve you been?”

Suzy wasn’t sure how to react. She stared at her camera…it was a tie that bound them, at least in her mind. A shared interest from long ago. “Good. And you?” She managed to get out.

Her stomach still had butterflies for him, but they had gone different paths, built their families separately, moved on. When you love someone, sometimes you let them go and take the hit…that was how she felt. She had struggled to move on, but found a way.

“Good…good. Can I see your photos?” He extended his hand.

“They’re mostly junk, but sure.” She handed him her camera. “My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.” She pointed to the lenses of her glasses.

Steve scrolled through the images. He laughed at one which Rich had took of Suzy being silly. “You guys seem to have a lot of fun together,” Steve commented.

Suzy shook her head. “Most of the time, we do.” She smiled, looking over at their cabin. “He’s taking a nap right now.”

Steve handed her camera back to her. “Nice shots.” Then he looked toward the unlit fire pit. “I’m glad we bumped into each other.”

Suzy’s eyes drifted over to Steve. He was sitting there, elbows on knees, clasped hands, looking solemn. Some awkward time passed as they sat in the silence, with all the words they never said and may never be able to say to each other.

Sofia’s voice rang out from behind them as she walked up, “Dad!” Steve smiled as his eldest walked over. “Who’s this?”

Suzy smiled toward Sofia. She looked like her Dad so much. Suzy had seen pictures of her through the years, but now she was almost grown and around the age when Steve and Suzy first met, all those years ago.

Suzy introduced herself to Sofia, then continued, “Your Dad and I went to school together. Crazy how we bumped into each other after all these years!”

Sofia smiled at Suzy, “He’s mentioned your name before. Nice to meet you!” Then she turned to her Dad. “Lexi and I are going down to the camp store. Want anything?”

Steve shook his head no and soon Sofia was off with her kid sister.

“She’s a sweet girl, Steve.”

His face brightened up and he started sharing about watching the girls grow up. Suzy genuinely smiled as Steve talked. She couldn’t have kids of her own, but she was happy he got to have the family he wanted.

Slowly their conversation turned more comfortable and even lighter. The awkwardness dissipated and their friendship came back. They even shared a few laughs.

“Am I interrupting?” a man’s voice inquired. Rich had walked up to the ring of chairs.

Suzy looked up at him and smiled. It was a smile of true happiness. “Hey sweetie, this is Steve.”

Rich was happy to see she was no longer on edge. He stuck out his hand and exchanged greetings with Steve, then he took a look at the fire pit. “Hey, this is gas. Mind if I turn it on?”

Steve gave Rich a thumbs up. Suzy smiled, and was surprised how comfortable she was with both Rich and Steve being in the same place.

Rich took a seat on the other side of Suzy and the three of them stared into the fire as evening settled in. They chatted about the weather and the sites for a bit.

Steve then looked at his watch and suddenly stood up. “I should get back to the cabin and head out to dinner with the family. It was great to catch up with you!”

Suzy stood up and gave Steve a friendly hug. “Yes, it was.”

Steve headed back to his cabin and Suzy turned to Rich. “Dinner?” Rich smiled and shook his head yes.