Blackfeather Woods sinnasaik

her words were like a blow, battering her heart. still, what had to be done must be done. opening her eyes, Tahani nodded, taking the pup in her mouth and carrying it out of the den. she set it a short distance away, beginning to dig, her thoughts at once both here and a thousand miles away.

how many pups had died here, in these woods? how many tiny bodies were buried beneath this soil? they'd never lived, never breathed, and yet their spirits were just as valid and important as those souls who'd lived through dozens of seasons. she shed a quiet tear for her nephew whom she'd never know, and all others who had lost their lives before they'd had a chance to live, until there was a good-sized howl in the ground.

gently, Tahani placed the body inside the opening and looked at it for a long while, eyes solemn. "AKumik," she whispered, then began to close the hole again, sending showers of dirt to cover the forever-sleeping babe. when she had finished, she shook the dirt from her paws and returned to the den, sitting by Shivali's side.

"it is done," she said simply, waiting for what came next.