The Heartwood oh, adi, don't you know you're still number one?

This fucking man!

Easy felt a sinking, seething sensation in her chest as he, predictably, managed to take away nearly the opposite of what she'd meant. She saw it coming perhaps before he did, but she did nothing to stop him from turning tail. She watched him for a moment, devoid of expression, before exploding after him with a volley of furious barks:

"You can run, chutiya, but don't pretend it's because you know better than me!"

The volume and visceral way in which she'd shouted the words left her throat feeling torn — but it felt better to scream at him than to let herself cry any more tears. She would save them for the next time he showed his stupid face.

"Asshole!" she shouted after him, and then she swung around and went back to furiously digging her den.