this castle of glass

The approach of another twitched her ears, but Qanik remained otherwise still. Her dark eyes continued to dully drink in the sight of the icy water, the trees trapped beneath it's frozen surface in a parody of life. She paid little heed to the sound of pawsteps until a body slipped down beside hers, stretched out shoulder to shoulder, the familiarity making Qanik assume it was a member of her pack until her head turned to take in the sight of a stranger and the numbed words of greeting faded unspoken from her muzzle. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement, and her body tensed. Scent and sight finally combined to flip a switch of recognition in her mind. Not truly a stranger, though little more than an acquaintance who had never given her his name.

"Hello...?" she greeted in a questioning murmur, her brow raised expectantly. She hadn't really thought to be anything but alone here, but she should have known better than to expect such thoughtfulness from a universe that clearly cared nothing for the beings within it.