Dawnlark Plains in the blink of an eye

she came fairly quickly and melted into his side, closing her eyes. her voice sounded raw; he wondered how long she'd been sobbing, and if so, where--he hadn't heard it. dawn was so adept at holding back emotion: it made her an effective leader, but it also led to her backing it up, having it finally crash down upon her, as he'd seen a couple of times. this was one time where he didn't blame her in the least for finally breaking down.

he curled around her, a soothing croon in his throat, almost like a purr. he rested his chin on her forehead, letting her bury her muzzle into his chest if she wanted to. every word of advice grayday had ever given him regarding his daughter echoed through aditya's mind, the familiar drawl both a comfort and yet, teeth sank deep into his heart--he'd never hear it aloud again.

"have you slept?" adi murmured, his own eyelids drooping. grief had a way of ripping into you, taking all your energy until it left you a trembling husk. but before that came restlessness, and denial. shale had kept close to the body; aditya had heard his strangled screams into the night. when he'd gone to check, just before sunrise, the man was staring at his brother, eyes hollow. a husk.