Big Salmon Lake Icarus

With a touch of stubbornness, a dash of guilt, and a heavy dose of genuine tiredness, Caeli dozed for a bit while Ridir worked, wishing that the overcast day would spare a few rays of warming sun. After a bit, she rose and gingerly gathered a few of the less malodorous fish more preserved by  cool mud. The grey peppered female returned just long enough to settle before Ridir had completed his building project. 

Her mouth opened with ready praise, but snapped shut again as he spoke first. 

Giant...lady hips, she repeated haltingly, twisting her head back to peer thoughtfully at the parts in question as she made her rear paws dance just slightly from side to side. I'm not even sure if that's an insult or a compliment, she concluded after a moment, turning back to regard him dryly. Clearly he thought himself hilarious. Boys. Suddenly she heard her mother's voice in her head telling her that even the good ones might take ages to grow up. 

If she wasn't quite sure that her hips were slender as the rest of her was, his offhanded joke might have genuinely hurt her feelings, though she knew he wouldn't mean to. As long as they'll fit in there with your ego, we're good. 

Huffing air through her nose in a quiet laugh of mild exasperation, Caeli strode past him to peer into the mouth of their makeshift shelter. He'd done a nice job. Thank you, she said with simple sincerity, laying jokes aside. 

Food's waitin' over by that tree if you still hungry. But you should rest. I know you may be stronger than me, but you've come just as far. Yes, she had a mothering side too. As my grandfather Roche used to say she quoted with the hint of a French accent, "Rest is not idleness."