Phantom Hollow A blizzard night

He agreed with her, to a point. Grayday was his closest sibling; he needed to know, eventually. Shale couldn't keep shutting off this side of him to his brother--and neither could Day. There was still a small chasm between them, created by time away, and Shale hoped to bridge it soon. Perhaps laying their souls bare to one another was the only way.

Shale nodded at her remark, relieved that they were at last straying away from the heaviest part of their conversation. "I like snow, sometimes," he admitted. Playing in the white stuff as a pup had been a highlight of his childhood. Then again, he'd always had a warm den to return to, at the end of the adventure. Not so, here. "But I don't like traveling in it."

He hunkered down beside the medic, keeping enough space between them to not seem like he was leading her on, yet staying close enough so that their bodies could comfortably share warmth during the cold night. Her eyes glowed in the dim light, and he looked at her for a moment, a faint smile still on his face.

"Thanks for listening," Shale murmured, tucking his tail around him. His eyelids were beginning to droop. "I'll return the favor anytime you need to talk."