Bearclaw Valley it was all right with me

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indra drank from the cold fount slowly. it was all she could stomach these days, and she found herself revisiting the stream often. as she lifted herself up from the ground she saw sif had adopted a supine pose behind her. sif's expression looked distinctly bothered -- troubled even -- indra's heartbeat hammered for a moment as she mistook the concern for concern of a possible threat. then she realized that look was for her, and her shoulders fell in defeat.

sif's words were heartwarming; even indra in her affected state could not deny the chestnut female her kindness. she was starting to be less wary around sif, and perhaps that statement was the clincher that forced her to drop her guard entirely and issue a small, choked sob.

she hated how pathetic she looked; how defenseless she might have appeared to a stranger like sif. suddenly, a bit of laurel came out in her and she struggled to fight back the bile that rose in her throat, that urged her to say i don't need protection! i'm not a little girl!

but she was a little girl. a little, helpless, assailable little girl. she felt burning in her throat and she swallowed, dearly wishing she could go back to the stream and sup her fill and hide the tears that welled in her eyes from sif. "thanks.." was all she could muster - she thought if she said anything more, her composure would shatter -- and once she started, she knew she would not stop.