WC: 329
Colibri cringed as Zana voice fell flat, low with all of the emotions Coli herself was well familiar with. She bit her lip, not having meant to dredge up hurtful memories, not ever. "That's... I can understand that, Zana, and it's not your fault," she whispered, the crash of waves behind her nearly drowning out her meek voice. "That means you're better than her. You have a pack to support you and look out for you, and that can be better than stupid parents who don't know how to care." Oh, what she would have given to have someone to talk to, after everyone she knew decided they didn't want her either... Not her dead mother's mate, not her bastard of a father, no one. She should never have left Clouded Tears, even if it meant not knowing who her family really was.
Coli was surprised to hear the nickname "Ly" again - she had just heard it recently from her little brother Emwe, as the name of the "nice man" he had stayed with while everyone had been searching for him. She still had no idea who the fellow was, or even what pack he was attached to, but he seemed to be stirring up trouble if he was offering weapons to small children and assisting in kidnappings. She pushed those thoughts quickly aside as Zana sniffled and began to cry. "Please don't cry, honey, everybody's small to begin with! And, and, I'm s-sorry the gulls are harassing you, that's not fair of them. Th-they won't bother you today, right? Because I'm here w-with you! So, let's try to h-have fun together... Okay?" She wrung her wrists anxiously, hating to see anyone in distress. She should hug the little girl, shouldn't she? That's what people were supposed to do when they wanted to cheer each other up. Nodding resolutely, Coli reached out a shaky hand, attempting to gather the pup into her awkward embrace. She really was small...
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