Dragoncrest Cliffs But I’m still tired of sleeping with the light on

He tried to recall the last time he’d seen her. Last he knew, she’d been heavily infatuated with…Atlas? The time that had passed since that part of his life had absolutely flown. For him, things felt simultaneously, wildly different- and yet other things he felt hadn’t changed at all. 

He would always have a deep affinity for his siblings, no matter where they went, how far they went, and how much time passed between their meetings. It had been so hard to learn, first with Nellie, to let his siblings go and lead their own lives, and simply trust that they would be alright- and that they may or may not come back. 

If anything, the absence and distance intensified how eager he felt to see them again. When he caught sight of Meerkat, his eagerness showed in the excited patter of his feet. He wanted to hound toward her, but feared and respected the wrath of the powerful women he knew that ran the pack. His tail waved so far from side to side that the tip of it tickled his belly on the sides. 

But the emotion that won the battle of her features wasn’t relief or joy- it was wariness and concern. Fearful anxiety pressed a feverish thought into his mind- after all, look at her! She wasn’t running to him, or bouncing, or yelling gleefully…The greeting he got wasn’t even how he’d seen Meerkat greet strangers before. She looked uncomfortable, being greeted by surprise like this. But that couldn’t be it, could it? Maybe she was just so concerned because these scars were new to her….

Or maybe Fennec said something.

The thought made him very uncomfortable.

His tail waved, but his posture was apologetic, wilted. ”Meerk,” He greeted her. He wished she’d break free from whatever kept her so distant and reserved. Maybe it was a bad time. ”Sorry to surprise you…I came through here about…A month ago, or a bit more- an’ was hopin’ to see you when your leader said you lived here but she said you were pregnant so I…Waited a bit- I’m sorry if it’s a bad time, I can come back another day if it works better for you, I just…Wanted to see you again, see how you’re doin’?” his voice grew softer with each word he spoke, as though to make it easier for him to be sent away. It broke his heart to realize that he’d missed seeing so much of her adult life. She’d gone and grown up without him.