Ankyra Sound holy water

She had been here so long now—she’d lived in Sapphique longer than she’d ever lived anywhere else in her life—Meerkat just assumed everybody knew her story by now. But Chacal surprised her by asking about her past. She was happy to talk about it; it was easier than discussing the future right now.

Well, I was an only child raised by my mom, with the help of her brother and his mate, who were my dad and second mom, she shared. I left home when I wasn’t quite half a year. My older brother and I went to live with my aunt’s pack. When some of her children spun off to create their own pack, we went with them. And then… well, a whole lot of tragedy happened.

Looking back, her first year or so had been so idyllic, its highs followed by a long streak of lows. Her tenure at the glacier had been a welcome respite after so much turbulence, up until her ill-fated pursuit of Issorartuyok. But then she’d reconnected with Njord and things had taken a romantic turn. Life had been beautiful ever since, pardoning the wrench thrown in late summer.

Realizing she’d gotten lost in her thoughts in the middle of her story, she recollected herself and said, It just occurred to me that I’ve lived with Sapphique almost twice as long as I ever lived anywhere else. And I’ll admit, sometimes I question if it’s where I really belong, at least for good, but you guys have become my family…