Dawn

Truthfully, he didn't really do half-bad a job at showing it - it wasn't spoken out loud, sure, but it had always been loud and clear to the red canine through actions, and his actions more than showed his care. It was a thing she relied on as well; the always-counted-on presence of Lark was something that she had never lost - even if it was something she as a youngster never expected to have.

He woke up slowly, and it brought a smile to her face. In the past, he'd wake up much more quickly. Now, it was slower - she liked to believe that it was because of how comfortable they felt in each other's presence, not the fact that they were... five years of age. Bleh. He rolled over first, and that was when her nose-poking turned into an affectionate nuzzle, and she laid her head near his paws as she waited for him to actually open his eyes. When he did, she cracked a goofy grin, leaned foreward, and aimed a sloppy kiss all over his face. "We should do something. Something feels... off, y'know? And it's not just my heat, though you know all about that."

"Speech"