Redhawk Caldera a drop filled with memories

She made no reply to her sister's reassurances. Meerkat deeply appreciated everything Fennec offered her tonight—comfort, companionship, a literal shoulder to lean on—and she offered her a wan smile before remembering she wouldn't see it. Another sigh emptied from her chest into the wintry air.

"Thanks, Fen," she said quietly when she could, her voice thickened by the stuffiness brought on from her crying session. She lapsed back into silence then, pressing gently against her older sister, thankful for yet another thing as they sat there together: simple warmth.

After a time, her eyelids began to droop and she said, "I'm going to try to get some sleep." In lieu of more words of thanks, Meerkat nuzzled Fennec. She stood slowly and a little stiffly, then slipped back into the darkness of the cave to curl up beside Bronco.