Broken Boulder twin high maintenance machines

She is so happy to see him.  Somehow, between the distance and everything else that has happened, their friendship hasn't changed.  She can't help the way her eyes crinkle at the corners or the way her mouth gives so easily into a smile.  How could she have thought that Olive was the only constant in her life?  Delight had always been there, too.

I'm glad to be here, she admits softly.  Her gaze, usually sharp these days, softens as it lingers over him.  A cold, she thinks, but she wonders if it is more than that.  For now, she doesn't pry; Delight's (kind of soured) demeanor isn't all that unusual.  There was a famine.  We were going to starve, eventually.  There were eight pups in total... it was too many for the mountain to handle.  We had trespassers.  More than just the boys from Tindome.  One of Olive's children was killed by a coyote.

She paused.  She kind of didn't want to drop everything she'd pent up about Sunspire to Delight, but..?  History has a way of repeating itself.  Nobody came and offered their condolences.  Nobody cared.  Then Ibis got attacked, too, a bobcat.  She sighed.  We were all holed up with the alpha's children after that.  It was too cramped.  And then we were stripped of our titles and shuffled into the lowest ranks.

She shrugs.  The official reason?  Famine.  Really, it was the children I had in mind... but.. it felt nice to be respected, too.