"Taddy!" Ayiana wailed as loudly as her lungs would allow as she chased Taddy down crying out “Wait for me!" as the coarse dirt and gravel hurt her feet as she ran so quickly to chase him down, but despite the pain she continued her all but hopeless pursuit. Losing all hope she stopped dead on the spot and cried out desperately "Don't leave me behind!" Ayiana’s voice collapsed as the deepest sorrows she had ever known were carried on the winds of her tear-soaked breaths. Ridden with guilt she stood nervously, anxiously watching as Taddy stopped “Thought you was staying here?” his voice gentle as he turned around and looked down upon her with such sympathetic eyes "They gonna get mad at you for running away like that without your boots on Ayiana" she watched him, nervously catching her warbling breaths as he stepped closer and gently smiled "Looks like they been looking after you? And you look real pretty in that little white dress too”. Taddy knelt down before her, watching Ayiana with pity as the worst fears of her heart rolled from down her cheek "People keep telling me that this here is the best place for you, these people will look after you and care for you in ways that I never could" Ayiana's face crumpled anxiously with weighted breaths as she listened sullenly awaiting his final goodbye "This place might be all nice and that dress might look all pretty Skitterbug, but just like those tears, it really don’t suit you" Ayiana watched him carefully with a strange hope tickling her restless fingertips "These people might know what's best for you” He sighed slowly and edged closer and looked deeply into her eyes “But that don't mean it's what's right for you". Taddy held Ayiana’s hands gently "Look at me Skitterbug!" she warily glanced into his eyes "This place ain't right for you any more than that pretty little dress of yours, I ain't no father but I know that the right place for you Ayiana is with me" Taddy paused and gently squeezed her hands "Skitterbug, I don’t know how to ask this, so I’m just gonna say it” Her pulse all but stopped as she watched him pensively as he thought briefly and looked straight into her eyes “Ayiana I want you to come home with me, I want you to be the little native girl that everyone says I should have brought to this awful orphanage, I want you to run around, be annoying, steal my hat, infuriate, hassle me all day long and drive me all kinds of damn insane, because I know that staying with me might not be the best place for you, but it is the right place for you Ayiana". Taddy fell still, gently embracing her as Ayiana watched him in silence "So what do you say Skitterbug?” Taddy held her gently and gently smiled as she stood enchanted but crying as hope refilled her heart “Ayiana are you gonna come with me?" Ayiana grasped his fingers gently and nodded her head and cried gently “Take me with you Taddy!” crying her heart out "Then let’s go get your boots, pants and your poncho, we got a long ride ahead of us and Jesse is waiting for us" Taddy held her hands and softly smile “You know, I might need you to wear that pretty little dress for me just one more time?” Ayiana watched as he let go of her hands “Would you do that for me Skitterbug?” without thought she nodded her head, mumbling “Yes” through her new tears of happiness and reached up for him. Taddy softly nodded and reached down and took Ayiana into his arms, pulling her tight to his chest and lifting her up into his embrace “Let’s get you home” she hugged him so tightly as her fears fell from her eyes, she glanced into his eyes and lifted his hat from her head to place back upon his. Without hesitation he stopped her “You stop right there little lady!” she looked up at him nervously “That hat belongs to you now Skitterbug” he took his hat and placed it gently on her hair “I think you’ve more than earned it!” she watched him in shock as he smiled “Don’t you think?” gently she nodded back and smiled as he held her firmly “Good, then lets go get your boots, we got a long ride ahead of us Ayiana”.