Big Salmon Lake I got used to living without you

The conflict of emotions that reveal caused would have been pretty apparent. Disbelief was the first, but something else too. Relief? Anger? She was speechless for a moment. But she couldn't trust it to just that, and she had to see for herself.

She moved towards him with somewhat uncharacteristic purpose. Normally she might have made it seem like a game, or approached with aggression, but there was none of that. Instead, aside from her earlier expression, there wasn't much of anything to clue in to what she was thinking.

She'd move until she found him by touch and, feeling, brush beside until she could confirm it was him by scent. He sounded bad, like he needed attention, but that didn't explain anything. Why was he here? Why wasn't he...

Fennec's throat tightened with thick anger, compounded by both relief and confirmation of all of her fears at once. She pulled away and her ears went back, down, as she did. Defensive again. Where were you?

She knew where he'd gone. He'd told her he was leaving and she'd agreed, but she hadn't agreed to months without word. She hadn't agreed to raising their son without a father, and she certainly hadn't agreed to finding him here, half-dead and acting like that was okay. Bronco, what the FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!

The venom in her voice, and the volume, would mostly hide the shaking behind it. She didn't know what she was saying or what his reaction would be, but it was this or run. And she couldn't bring herself to leave him here, despite a part of her screaming that she should.