Totoka River krebs cycle

A soft and airy whine of bittersweet longing spilled from Coelacanth’s lips as Starbuck wooed and won her with tender words and a beautiful name: Lucienne. The little Groenendael’s finely-tapered muzzle parted, coral-pink tongue peeking out from between her bottom canines in a blithe smile as she nodded acquiescence. Lucienne — Lucienne — Lucienne — she allowed the new name to tumble through her mind, closing her mouth possessively around it to trace her tongue over the syllables she would never utter aloud. It was a name more beautiful than she was, and she was thankful for the sentiment as much as the collection of consonants and vowels; as she moved toward the treeline with an almost anxious gesture to be sure that Starbuck had not left her, Seelie adjusted her pace to walk more closely beside the coywolf. There was ample room for Starbuck to move away if she wished, but if she deigned to allow the sheepdog cross’ nearness, inky fur would brush against the expanse of smoke, cinnamon, coal, and cream.

The distance to the berry bushes was not far, and Coelacanth gestured toward them with a graceful turn of her delicate head and a low, thrumming purr. She enjoyed such fare, but was unsure as to how it would be received by her new friend — reaching forward, she plucked one of the succulent berries with a deft twist of tongue and clip of incisors, then merrily crushed it between her molars. The burst of sweet juice set her tail to wagging as she glanced toward her sky-eyed companion with an inviting, blueberry-scented whuff. She enjoyed that the girl talked to her; not being able to talk herself, she found it comforting when others filled the silence that was all she knew now. With Amoxtli, Coelacanth had enjoyed an uncanny sort of telepathy; they had conjured up their own language through gestures and the sounds that they could make, but much of what they shared was an eerie melding of thoughts and feelings that no other wolf was privy to. Seelie had seen the same thing in Crosscurrent and Undertow, Serein and Sirimiri. Now everything was just radio silence — and the lonely girl found it deafening.