Only half way up

Are you feeling better? The question was answered first with a contemplative grin, that was a loaded question. Better than at deaths door? She supposed. Back to herself? Far from it. She still felt frayed around the edges, her chest felt heavy, and her throat hurt sometimes. “I suppose I'll live,” if only to spite anyone that might want me gone. She left the latter unsaid. It wasn't exactly an answer to the question, but it gave the gist of it.

The end of winter was after the pups had been born, so that explained quite a bit. As far as Calliope and a snake, well, she'd overheard snippets of gossip among siblings but nothing definitive. “Bits and pieces, but nothing in full. It sounds like a grand adventure though, why don't you fill me in?” She adjusted her elbows to rest more comfortably in the sand, her tail tapping lightly at her side to show her enthusiasm. She did genuinely want to hear what had happened.

“Speech.”