time goes slowly when you're only waiting til the sun turns black

She lowered her muzzle to the glimmerglass surface of the tranquil water, her reedy eyes reflected in the unperturbed rim of the shallows. Despite her distance, he must have picked up from her body language that she was not leaving the conversation -- and his voice carried over the small inlet with ease.

He mentioned the pack was new and she sharply looked up, new interest forging undivided attention. "Newer? Your numbers must be small." Deftly, she scrambled up the backside of the slab and trotted loftily around the bank until she came full circle and was once more several feet from him, her breath curling in the crisp air.

"How many are there?"