Breaking Down
Darkstar's deft deflection helped to keep the rest of the dinner conversation away from me personally, yet the conversation didn't seem the least bit stilted. I had the impression that my hosts felt that they had made me uncomfortable and, as one, they...
Breaking Bread
Darkstar and I padded back to the staircase with no one else in sight. It occurred to me that more than one wicker hamper might be making a trip down the dumbwaiter tonight. I felt as if I should make some sort of conversation, but he didn't start one,...
Breaking Through
My eyes opened, not suddenly, not from any stimulus that I was aware of. I had no sense of time, and the quiet seemed absolute. Either the room was very well soundproofed, or the rain had stopped. I became more aware of my body, realizing that I had...
Of Mice and Menace
I'm not one of those hardcore city dwellers who doesn't like the country. My relief in returning to the city was exclusively that of feeling that I had escaped a physical threat. Rationally, I knew that the response was entirely out of proportion to...
Morning
The precinct had been making changes, although no one knew where the money was coming from. I didn't bother challenging it, since I'd finally been given an office of my own. It reminded me a lot of Chelsea Watson's claustrophobic office at LK&M,...
Recovery
Several minutes had passed as the three of us tried to regain our composure. Lightwing managed to eat, joking weakly that she was rarely so upset that she'd ever miss a meal. We had agreed quickly enough that we needed to keep my bomb from going off...
Homicide Detective
My next genuinely aware thought was that I was being held and rocked, not quite in Heartsinger's lap, still there on the log, the creek and forest still keeping us safe from the rest of the world. I hadn't truly lost consciousness; it was more like I...
Watercourse Way
As the three of us moved toward the front door, I took long, lingering looks at the bunkhouse, wondering, dreaming, thinking of what it might have been like, perhaps even wondering what it might be like now. The main house seemed palatial by...
Bunkhouse Stories
"I thought you were out of town for the weekend," I said, "not that it's not good to meet you." The stallion's smile never wavered. "Not that far out of town, and I very much wanted to meet you as well. After I parked my car, I saw Frank in the...
A Short Walk to the Past
The sound of new shoppers at the door convinced me to withdraw my forepaws, but not too swiftly. I tried telling myself that it was in order to let Darkstar move to greet them, welcome them, ask if he could help them find anything, rather than that I...
Artisanry
We stayed in the kitchen long enough to tend to the mugs and accoutrements that Lightwing had brought outside, then padded our way back through the dining hall, past the living room, and out the front doors. Back in the sunshine, I quickly reoriented...
Tea and Empathy
My impulse, at that point, was to go back to my room and hide away from everything and everyone. I felt more tired than anything else, although I also felt uncertain of how everyone really felt about... No. That wasn't true. The welcome was real. I was...