Greatwater Lake A silent heart ticking under the ground

Lunch break post, whee!

His laughter, despite being dry and short, calmed her nerves. If anything, it reassured her that nothing had happened between them that was noteworthy or interesting. Her heartbeat slowed, and the yearling cocked her head to one side as he spoke. What he admitted was not what she expected, and yet she settled onto her haunches anyway. When he mentioned the gap between her teeth, she consciously licked her teeth to check if the gap there really was that wide.

Fox had never met Hawkeye, although she did know her name and that she was Perry's mate and Alpha Female of the plateau. She'd had some children and was nursing some others from somebody who had died during or shortly after childbirth. Fox knew nothing of the other female's personality, what she and Perry were like together, or anything along those lines. Her imagination was piss-poor, so she didn't even try to imagine what they were like.

Unfortunately for Perry, personal matters were not exactly Fox's strong point. She was a terrible advisor, had no bedside manner, lacked empathy, and could hardly handle her own feelings, let alone those of others. And while Perry silently named her a friend, Fox could have told him long ago that she was a terrible one. She preferred not to be involved in complicated matters, especially drama between two lovers (past or present).

"That sucks," she replied, failing to come up with anything clever or helpful to say. "But why are you telling me?"