Duskfire Glacier I screamed his name till the neighbors called the cops

Lane was already a little frustrated, trying to pick out the bitter scent of feverfew from the heavy floral perfume that draped over the territory. Her inner zen was not improved by the appearance of Rye, who she'd have much preferred to avoid. 

Hearing her name spoken in his voice made her stomach squeeze. 

"Oh, yeah.." Lane answered, meeting Rye's gaze with a quick smile before pulling her eyes back to the shoreline. "I was away for a few days," she explained, knowing the excuse was a weak one but perhaps it would hold, if Rye was as distracted as Lane imagined he might be given his recent life changes. 

"How's the wife and kid?" she asked, managing an offhanded voice with only the barest hint of a tremor. Her stomach gave another squeeze, this one more acute. She wanted to match his excitement (at least outwardly), so she mentally forced her tail to swing, mirroring her friend's cheerful body language.