Overture Downs You should go and love yourself*

Saena's tongue presses to the roof of her mouth, ready to utter words of congratulations, but his explanation continues beyond his initial good news. With good always comes bad; this is something Saena has grown to anticipate, and it seems true for Luke as well. She doesn't really know who Mordecai is—their brief time hunting together on the plateau has long since faded from memory—but she's able to guess at his identity. She feels poignantly his grief, remembering her helplessness the night that Redtail Rise burned, but when he casts his eyes to the ground, she drops her snout to nudge his up.

"It's not your fault," she tells him. Albeit naive, she believes this. Even if Luke had been nearby, there was no telling what a cougar would've done to him if he'd gone to its aid. It might've been better for Mordecai to die than for Luke to be injured as well, or so she thinks. Her thoughts naturally favour an outcome that spares her friends. "The cat could've shown up overnight, maybe no one knew it was around. He didn't, either. It's not your responsibility to be everywhere at once. It's not possible." Pausing, she gently licks the side of his face, then asks, "he didn't call for back-up?"