Blacktail Deer Plateau You were my Versailles at night

Thanks guys! I'm excited to see how this plays out!

She was just about to begin daydreaming when the Healer's chuff made her smile and raise her head. The last time Saena spent time with her aunt was when she was racked with a headache and confessing her not-so-secret desire to help lead the pack one day. It felt like ages ago, so much so that what remained of her tail beat a happy tempo against the roots at her back as she welcomed the Healer and Beta with an open-mouthed smile and the relaxing of her ears. The wind wasn't very interesting, suddenly.

"Hi, Aunt Willow!" she chirped, choosing to remain laying where she was. It was both respectful to the higher-ranked woman and comfortable for her, and she indicated with a gesture of her muzzle that the dark-haired mother could join her in a tight huddle if she wished, though Saena left it up to her to decide. "How are you? How are the—"

But before Saena could finish her sentence with, "kids," another voice spoke up, one that was certainly not as welcomed. Saena was actively avoiding Koda in the pack whenever possible since the hunt, which admittedly wasn't all that hard to do—she spent a lot of time scouting, and he spent a lot of time doing whatever it was he did. Seeing him dragged up that sour memory like black tar in her mind. It was all she could do not to scowl and say, "oh, y'know, just looking at the clouds since that's all women are good for, right?"

Instead, she took Lasher's advice on mastering her frustration to heart and opted for a short, cool, "hello," and a firm, unwavering stare that indicated she was none too pleased to see him, but wasn't about to let her temper coax her into lashing out at him the way she sort of wanted to.