Duskfire Glacier Ommatik

For some reason, his frank opener caught her a little off guard, though not in a necessarily unpleasant way. She dipped her head gratefully for the food, though her stomach filled suddenly with butterflies, promptly whisking away her appetite. Maybe she could imbibe once she heard what was on his mind, exactly.

Her eyes dropped to her feet when he mentioned the glacier's recent losses, then slowly climbed back up to his face. "I wouldn't say I was close to either of them, though I still feel some grief. Mostly, though, I'm concerned about their kids." Meerkat gnawed on her lip, thinking back on her recent encounter with Arius and Ensio.

Unaware that he was thinking exactly the same thing, the yearling shook her head and said, "We definitely need to talk about them. But between these tragedies and my cold, I could use something lighter first. Tell me what's on your mind," Meerkat requested in a quiet voice, hesitating for a beat before adding, "about us, I mean?"

Out of nowhere, anxiety seized her. What if what what he had to say wasn't good news? Meerkat swallowed thickly, ignoring the added ache in her already congested chest as her heart gave an apprehensive squeeze.