Bearclaw Valley starting with a clean slate

indra was taken aback by laurel's suggestion -- she seemed to rock as if pushed, ears cupped in a mixture of doubt and worry. it was just like laurel to speak her mind freely - indra had not even realized until after laurel spoke that blondine still carried her stately composure despite mentioning her brother's death. if indra had to tell anyone that laurel was dead, she would not have been so matter-of-fact in its deliverance. doubt started to slowly trickle into her thoughts; doubts on the veracity of blondine's departure, doubts on what had really happened -- and most of all, doubt that blondine would not leave her unexpectedly again like she had before.

it was enough to tilt the dam she had built up inside of her: the stone wall, conical and frayed, that kept all of her hurt and resentment buried deep inside of her. but laurel's hidden accusation was the tiny blade that suddenly let loose a trickling stream of mistrust. a stream that in a matter of seconds became a belligerent and furious torrent. blondine had hurt indra beyond words when she had left, without so much as a word to her -- and seeing her here again was like revisiting an old and bloody wound.

it killed indra inside to turn her gaze to blondine, but laurel had been the only wolf to never let indra down - it was an uncomfortable thing to even think, but in every single circumstance indra would have always sided with her sister. "i think you should go." indra said quietly, feeling something inside of her positively wrench and fracture, and something ugly and miserable fan out comfortably in its place.