Ouroboros Spine nature of life on earth

Nobody had been with Meerkat. Sialuk hid any sadness or lost hope she might have had with that statement, trying to remain as neutral and hopeful as possible.

One... no, two nights ago, she replied. Time had moved at a different pace since the strange light. It felt both quick and agonizingly slow. Each moment that passed was another without her father, without her brother, without her aunts, uncles, and cousins. She squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a slow, deep breath before letting it out and returning her focus to Meerkat.

I have made an ulaq—den—of snow for Kukutux to recover. She is very weak and in need of rest. You may stay with us if you wish, for a little while or longer. Sialuk was clinging to any sense of normalcy and familiarity that she could, and Meerkat fell into that category. Perhaps not a close friend or confidant, but certainly a wolf she knew and trusted by association.