Broken Antler Fen i've got fire for a heart

He startles, triggering her own surprised flinch. Liri stares with wide eyes as he tumbles backwards into the snow; her surprise and remorse evident. The child seems alright, he laughs as he climbs back atop his rock, and she tries not to let herself feel too guilty. 

He stares at her and Liri stares back silently, curiosity in the tilt of her head. As the first child she has seen in nearly two years she cannot help but compare him to her step-children. He is much larger than they and where they were emaciated to the point of sickness; this pup is endowed with childhood roundness.

He appears healthier than any child she has ever seen, a sign of Pearl and Sebastian's general normality and surprising kindness. 

"I am Liri," she introduces herself softly as he stares at her scars before turning away. She glances down at them for a moment, wondering what others see when they look at her. 

"Yes," Liri answers. Her reasons are not quite the same as his, nor what he suspects. Even as ignorant as she is with children, Liri knows it would probably be best to avoid mentioning the dark memories that keep her awake. 

"I probably don't know as much about them as you," she smiles a bit. "Do you have a favorite?"