Redhawk Caldera Wish I loved and kept the good friendships

She threw herself into her task so thoroughly that she didn't realize her mother was there until Niamh spoke, and when she did, Alyx froze. She couldn't remember the last time she'd spent any one-on-one time with her mother, and between being grounded and being dragged to this new claim, she had permitted a little resentment to grow between her and her parents.

Nothing ultimately harmful, but it was enough to cause a slithering sensation in her tummy when her mother asked what she'd caught. A retort jumped to the tip of her tongue, but she quickly bit it back. Attitude wouldn't earn her any favours right now, and the last thing Alyx needed was to feel even more wretched.

So she replied with a short and simple, rats, before resuming her digging.