Kintla Flatlands we are the fortunate ones

Kas was right, Junior had guessed pretty quickly. The young girl wasn't so small and bumbling anymore. Her words were clear and bright, her eyes alert and curious. She wondered why she wasn't part of the plateau, and Kaskara frowned. Clearly nobody told the girl about Kas's outburst or her rude words flung at Blue Willow, which had rightfully gotten her thrown out. But she deserved to know the truth, even if it wasn't nice.

"Well, after we all thought you were dead, Blue Willow and your brother brought back what we thought was your body. It was very small, with black tufts of hair on its ears." Even now, after she knew Junior was alive, Kas could feel a lump forming in her throat. She swallowed it, took a steadying breath, and continued. "I was exhausted and hungry, and those two things are never a good combination for me. I was angry, too, about your death. I was mad that I wasn't there to protect you, to keep you safe. So I lashed out."

Here she paused, watching the girl, who wasn't so little anymore, wondering what she made of this. "I didn't hurt anybody physically, but I did blame Blue Willow for your death. I said she was responsible for you and your siblings while your father was hurt, and that she should have been watching you more carefully." Eyes closed, she shook her head briefly. "I know I should have never said those things, but in the heat of the moment, I wasn't thinking clearly. Blue Willow and your father told me to leave the pack, and your uncle drove me off."

As much as she wanted to explain how she wished to apologize, Kas simply couldn't continue. She watched Junior's reaction carefully, studying her. What Kas had done wasn't the end of the world, but it hadn't been right to say those things during their grief, fresh as it was. She should have kept it hidden in her head, tucked out of sight, but her anger and exhaustion had overcome her good sense. She wondered at herself, at why she felt afraid of what this young lady might think of her temper, and why she craved her forgiveness so fiercely.