Big Salmon Lake hateraid

As the moment evolved, Rian found himself less fixated on the discovery and far more focused on her reactions. The shifting planes of her face as each emotion washed over her was utterly fascinating to him, and he caught himself staring as she simultaneously inspected the unusually preserved example of natural predation. He could almost, if he concentrated hard enough on the quirks of her lip and the flicker of her gaze, feel a mimicked ghost of the emotions in his own blood. Like reading a piece of music and imagining the notes in ones head; Rian was feeling vicariously through her. But his own heart remained oddly dormant, barely beating.

He exhaled slowly through his nose and moved to stand beside her when she stopped to stare, wide-eyed, at something beneath the ice. A larger finned creature, with teeth like seratted shale, had half of the fish down his gullet. He felt as if time had simply stopped, and began to wonder if he was even awake or if she was yet another figment of his erratic imagination. He wavered when he glanced at her again and saw the open astonishment painted across her face. The cage around his voice bent a bit, and a single thing escaped: "Is this even real?" He snapped his jaws shut with a click and grimaced.