Redsand Canyon Each and every breath we take

Fennec could tell, by the gait, that the one who approached her wasn't her son or either of her parents. She didn't know the wolves of Mereo well enough to separate more than that, but his voice was easy enough to recognize. She'd never met anyone who spoke as formally as Germanicus. It was nearly as strange in her ears as Sialuk's patterns, but the words at least fell in the expected order and cadence.

His news did bring a genuine smile to her face, however fleeting. It caught her by surprise but at the same time didn't surprise her. My kid kicks ass. Of course he's getting promoted.

I'm here to see him, but I need to talk to my mom too. I wanted to join, if you'd allow it, but there's things I need to tell her first. Her anger had burnt through on both ends and left nothing but exhaustion behind. Becoming the Wraith had only made the numbness worse, and the more strangers she had encountered, the more she felt like she was losing herself. None of them mattered.

Killdeer mattered. She should have stayed when he asked, but she was better late than never at all. Towhee was part of why she'd chosen to leave last time, but she needed to face her mother and tell her what happened. It was a stupid fear but that didn't make it less real. She'd been running from it for too long.