For @Namid -- 10F/-12C, moderate snow.
Everything changed, and yet, nothing did.
Desideria sat in front of her cache – or where her cache used to be – with a grim expression. There wasn’t much to the small stash; it was compromised mainly of the few squirrels that had woken early, and one terribly unlucky marten. It could hold a wolf over for a few weeks at best, but it meant the subordinate didn’t have to deal with the pack cache. Or the pack. Or anyone. Kajika was gone for the time being, and quite frankly, the women knew not how she felt about the matter. She had thought they were friends.
She had thought they were more than friends.
“Yes, I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought you might want the chance to be mother and that having a child all your own might bring you some happiness.”
For the thousandth time since she’d awoke, those stupid, awful, terrible words hung around her, circling her like ravens overhead. They’d found something dying, almost dead – ripe for the picking. Des would offer a feeble snap of her teeth and briefly they’d abate, but as soon as the wolf let her guard down, they would return, cackling and crowing just out of reach. Empty orange eyes stared down at the snowy seal, a withering sigh escaping the woman. Did she attempt to claw away the ice?
“Why do I even bother?”