Bramblepoint (M) Old wounds leave big scars

Walking did help, it seemed. The mild cramp eased and Towhee could better focus on the way it felt to move around with a bigger belly. It wasn't unlike eating a huge meal, although there was less sloshing. It shifted her center of gravity a bit. She couldn't imagine how much rounder she might become by the time she delivered. Certainly she was carrying more than a single pup this time, since she was already showing.

She had become so preoccupied, she'd almost forgotten her sadness. And she didn't notice she had company until he stepped into her line of sight, startling Towhee slightly. She froze and went rigid, lip curling back from her teeth as she regarded the stranger in the middle distance. Only, he wasn't a stranger. He looked thinner and scragglier than the last time she'd seen him well over a year ago, though Towhee would recognize him anywhere.

"Fucking Rye?" she blurted into the morning air. "That really you?"