Kildeer Rest to death we dance

They both came to meet her and Meerkat smiled around the carcass in her mouth. She moved toward them, bending to place the meat at their feet and then keeping her head bowed. Her tail wiggled behind her and her brown eyes shone when she peeked up at mother and daughter through her lashes.

"It's good to see you too. It's been too long," she replied to Kukutux's greeting. She tried to think of the last time she'd laid eyes on the woman. Had it been that day when they'd both gone to the island? The memory wasn't particularly pleasant, though it dropped back into the murk of her mind when she abruptly remembered a slightly more recent encounter.

She hadn't thought about any of this in a while and thinking about it now made her mouth go dry. Nonetheless, Meerkat took a breath and said, "I owe you an apology," to Kukutux. "I wasn't in my right mind when we ran into each other this past summer." She breathed through a wave of deep embarrassment before reassuring, "I'm doing much better nowadays, though."

As for Sialuk, she didn't think they'd crossed paths since spring. "How are you doing, Ms Fierce? How are you both?"