Blackfeather Woods wisteria

Tahani was still floating on clouds in the wake of the news that her sister was pregnant, but she knew that there was much work to do, not only regarding Shivali, but with the other pregnant and nursing women in the pack. she had seen glimpses of the nursing woman and her pups--one starkly white, the other black as night--but had not yet met the other. . .the damaged one.

carrying a rabbit in her jaws, its long legs swinging as she walked, Tahani padded down into the Spiderlings' Glen (one of the more beautiful places in these dark woods, she thought) careful not to lose her footing lest she slip and crack her head below. finally, she made it to the bottom, and caught sight of a lump of brown-gray fur. the woman.

with a low, keening whine, muffled through the prey in her mouth, the healer approached. the woman's eyes were closed, and Tahani was puzzled when they did not open as she drew closer. why did--

the northerner recoiled, dropping the rabbit in panicked reflex. no, the woman's eyes were not closed--but gone. naught but ragged scar tissue remained, marring a face that had once been beautiful. she swallowed thickly, feeling grief like bile churn in her gut. she summoned the fortitude to pick up the prey, placing it at the woman's feet.

"eat," she said in her tongue, forgetting in her shock that the woman might not understand her. "you need your strength."