Firefly Ravine rusted

the two wolves did not speak to one another, one questioning and the other silent with shame. vuk did not know why she could not form words, only that they did not come easily to her tongue; she met the eyes of the other again and fought for the steel within her spine that had carried her not only from larksong, but from the ridge and back again. "seff." the name of her son was said thoughtlessly, without context, and vuk's ears folded again as her lips parted.

only silence sounded first, deafening against the backdrop of her shame, and anger rose in her veins, frustration with her inabilities. "he is m-my s-son," came the thick roll of her voice, marked as always by the indignity of her impediment. "h-he is y-young--" here vuk lifted a forepaw to approximate seff's height -- "a-and he disa ... i c-cannot f-find h-him. f-for m-many days," vuk laboured on, coming swiftly to the end of her energies. "h-he is ... tan...w-with b-blue eyes."

vuk's own eyes watered, not only at the sudden crack of her voice but the memory of seff's face that danced cruelly before her mind's gaze, and she looked hurriedly away from the stranger so that he would not see.