Duskfire Glacier NulettuKutik

The smile and warm greeting put her a little more at ease and set a hopeful tone for this rendezvous. It didn't seem he held the time apart against her, which didn't particularly surprise her—he was too pragmatic for that—but it was still a relief. Meerkat really did hope they could walk away from this as friends.

But then he said something which sucked all the air out of her lungs. Not only were the words themselves shocking, the way he stumbled through what he was trying to say really struck her. The stoic mask slipped and she glimpsed the tender man underneath as he pleaded for a second chance. If she'd felt sad upon seeing him, it was nothing compared to the heartache as he swore to whisper things to her. It might've been funny in other circumstances, yet seeing him like this was one of the least funny things she'd ever witnessed.

Issorartuyok went silent and bowed his head, awaiting her response. Meerkat stood there for several moments, stunned into silence. There were so many thoughts and feelings swirling around inside her, it was a wonder she could contain them. She did feel a little like she might burst at the seams, her own skin suddenly ill-suited to the emotional creature it housed.

At length, one in particular sprang to the forefront. And it wasn't one she'd expected. It was anger. How dare he come to her now, right after she'd found happiness elsewhere? Meerkat seethed at his timing. She hated that, for a moment, the sight of Issorartuyok struggling made her want to turn her back on this newborn spark with Njord. But, no! Njord gave her everything she needed without even having to be asked. She didn't need to teach him how to treat her because it came to him naturally. Fuck trying to train up a proper husband. It was too little, too late!

But the fury passed quickly. How could she stay mad at him in such a vulnerable moment? She knew the truth would be painful enough without yelling at him. Meerkat let out a long, quiet breath, tipping her head backward to peer at the sky as if begging the heavens for strength to handle this conversation with the care it necessitated.

"No," she said. "I told you, Issor: neither one of us should change ourselves, or settle." Her breath was shaky, though she thought of something Njord had said and it calmed her. "You bring me peace." "But it would be disingenuous not to tell you there's another reason. I found someone who's a better match for me." Meerkat very nearly told him he would find a better match too but though she hoped that was true, this was not the time for empty platitudes. And she almost told him she was sorry, because she hated to hurt him, but Meerkat would never apologize for feeling the way she did about Njord.