As weeks became months, she reluctantly gave him his space and did not force him to come to her night after night but instead let him wander where he would and sleep wherever he wanted but she also watched him and no longer relied upon the whispers of the trees and stones and birds and bees because she knew he would return to her if given time and space and she accepted that it may take a lot of time even as every night without him hurt her and every day where he did not seek her out or return to the cave or her beach carved scars in her heart that only love would heal.