DAWN
it must be about as hard as forgetting your best friend
Her mind wanders to the first time she had seen Ghaul, freshly born and covered in his dam’s blood from ripping his way out of her. She had pitied the cold, blind boy, instantly tucking him into her side and claiming him as hers. Lie had appeared, and they had taught the newborn how to hunt, as his sharp teeth and talons made it startlingly clear that he couldn’t live on a normal diet. He had made fast friends with his true half-brother, and Dawn swells with pride knowing that a son of hers, if not by blood, has risen to kingship.
Her hooves carry her towards the beach - as always - as a herd of deer startles behind her, scattering through the foothills. She doesn’t notice the lion pursuing them or hear the squeals of the dying buck, merely continuing along her path. A few does race past her, disappearing up ahead onto a trail too small for her to follow them.
Not that she would. She knows how to hunt, of course, and on occasion partakes in stalking prey, but a polar bear is too conspicuous in the Cove to take down much. Most of her kills tend to be by pure luck, or during the wintertime when the territory is coated with snow. So she just watches them as they disappear into the underbrush, a bemused smile on her face as she continues down her path.
As she stands alone on the pebbled beach, she closes her eyes and relaxes. The sunlight is beginning to fade but she doesn’t fear the gathering darkness as she once might have. The Cove is a safe place, somewhere she will always feel at home, and nothing could ruin that.
She smells the fresh-kill scent before she hears the lion approaching, and turns her head towards the approaching lion. She smiles as she recognizes Lie, and chuckles as he drops the leg at her hooves. “I think I’ll save it for later,” she tells him, pulling the meat closer to her with a hoof. “And I’ve been well, just missing our family. Have you met Ghaul’s wife yet? She is a lovely young drake, and they have a beautiful clutch of eggs.” She scrutinizes him carefully, a soft smile crossing her lips as she does. “You look happier than you’ve been in a long while,” she says.
“I’m glad. I have missed you.”
@[litotes]