Emberwood hunger

Her name, her kind words, and even her crack at humor were missed – she moved to a sit, and the boy flinched at the flash of tawny fur. He cowered lower, his runt-like form quaking at the stress, and the Ostrega continued his next move, hoping she did not lash out to him or the meat. Should he simply run? Should he try to take some of the meat with him? Surely he would not eat again for days, and the luck at finding such a fallen beast would not be replicated.
 
He recognized then that she asked his name – what was it she demanded of him? If she wanted to carcass, she could have it! He was done fighting. “I’m no one,” he insisted, his throat raw from the use of his vocals that had been lost since the days of Lost Creek Hollow. It had been months since he had spoken, until the moment Harlyn had been attacked.
 
“No one.”
 
And despite everything – his fear – the need to pee himself – Pippin began to cry. It was a soft hiccup at first.. and then the tremble of his lips.. and then his body shook with the emotion.