Healing

Written by Felicia Rondo, Published: 10/11/2024

Summary: Whisper feels insecure, worried that she’ll never heal from the scars that life had left her, but Tangle is there to comfort her and let her know she loves her.

Inspired by a conversation with a friend!

Contains: Dealing with PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery, and True Love.

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“I’m sorry.”

The words that had been weighing heavily in her chest finally escape her lips, yet somehow her chest feels even heavier after. She spoke those two words often, to the point it practically annoyed herself more than it annoyed any one person she said them to, in hopes that it would make up for… well, her.

“Huh?” Tangle responded, turning to face Whisper after the quiet wolf spoke, “What’s up?” She was a little confused as to what brought this on, understandably, as they had just been hanging out before that phrase returned once more.

Whisper had her arms wrapped around herself, a hand squeezing at her own shoulder, as she dealt with the consequence of letting her thoughts out again. She had to explain herself.

“Since we’ve been together, things have been better… Better than I thought they could be… but I’m still…” her eyes squeezed shut tighter, “like this…” It was never easy to say what she felt, even though most of the time she was feeling the same thing. You’d think that would make it easier.

“Aww hey, you don’t need to apologize for that!” Tangle smiled, coming over and giving her unclenched shoulder a loving squeeze, before taking on a more serious tone as she added, “It’s not your fault what you went through, and it’s ok if healing takes a while! I’m not gonna up and decide you’re taking too long and leave!”

And there it was again. ‘Healing.’ Something so familiar, from having survived so many battles, yet so elusive in her heart.

“But… what if…” Whisper started, feeling a sharp pang of self-doubt that nearly got her to stop before she let another word out, “… What if this is it?

“What if this is the best I get?” she asked, causing Tangle to pause, “I can barely remember the person I used to be before everything happened, and sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever see her again or if she’s just gone…” her voice grew shaky as she admitted, “I don’t know how long I can live with putting you through who I am now.”

Then, Tangle pulled Whisper into a hug. Feeling the lemur’s arms around her made her warmer, she could almost ignore everything she had just said, but the fear remained so powerful in her heart.

“I love you,” Tangle told her, words she’d known from her before, before adding, “you’re the Whisper I fell in love with.” Whisper’s eyes widened as tears welled.

“You’re the one I met, the one I love spending time with, and… y’know, the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with,” continued Tangle, “that Whisper can’t be that bad, can she?”

Whisper sobbed, squeezing Tangle tightly in her arms as her words broke through the dam of misery that had felt so impenetrable. She could still hardly believe, even imagine, how someone could want her as she is and not want more - not expect greater things from her later… and yet, there was Tangle.

“I don’t want a different Whisper, I just wanna be there for the Whisper I’ve got,” Tangle giggled, stroking the wolf’s ponytail, “you’ve probably healed more than you even realize - I know I’ve noticed!”

As the emotions continued to flood through her, the lemur’s words conjured memories in Whisper - moments where she found strength, when she took leaps she would’ve thought were unthinkable before, and how Tangle had helped her find it. She pulled away just enough to where she could meet the lemur’s gaze once more with her own.

“Maybe it doesn’t look how you pictured it, but you never need to apologize for the Whisper you’ve become - because I think she’s pretty awesome,” Tangle winked, before planting a kiss on the wolf’s nose. Whisper responded by grabbing Tangle by her cheeks and pulling her into a kiss on the lips, earning a moan of surprised delight from her girlfriend.

When it ended, Whisper rested her cheek softly on Tangle’s shoulder. Her eyes were shut not to keep the world out, but peacefully in acceptance of the world she held in her arms. She knew she wasn’t ‘fixed,’ and the feeling that problems would arise again later hadn’t left, but it was joined by the unbreakable hope that her love had given her. Gratefully, in turn, Whisper gave two more words to Tangle,

“Thank you.”

The End