Any distraction from recent issues that Xeris had hoped for was not coming. She supposed that it was reasonable for Tala to be curious, as she herself had always been so curious of everything. Now, however, she would think twice before so being so gullible as to stick her nose where it didn't belong. That lesson had been taught to her harshly by the coyote called Kaena, and cemented firmly in her mind by the past month's events. Nonetheless, she was willing to answer Tala's question about how long she had been in the area. "Yes," she replied. "I came to Phoenix Valley in the spring of last year. However I had been elsewhere--" her voice cracked slightly on the word "elsewhere," and she hoped it wasn't noticeable. "--for almost a month. I have only recently returned. I would never wish to be anywhere other than Phoenix Valley for too long." And it was the truth.
The white female's expression of horror at her frightening inner thoughts had not gone unnoticed by her companion, it seemed. How to explain? Did she really want to get someone she just met involved in all of this? And did she even want to bring herself to talk about it? "Y-yes, I'm fine," Xeris replied. She knew, however, that she was obviously not perfectly fine and Tala could probably tell. "While I was away," she began, speaking softly and hesitantly, trying to decide how to word her thoughts, "I experienced some rather...difficult times. I was just thinking. These sorts of things can never fully be cleared from one's mind." She could only hope that Tala didn't pry further, as Xeris wasn't sure if she would be able to handle recounting the tale in full. She decided to change the subject. "So, are you enjoying your time in Phoenix Valley?"
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