Wapun Meadow when the coffin shakes and the needle breaks

❤!!

It is the woman's scent that alerts her, belatedly, to her presence; she'd only caught the faintest whiff of it at the borders, a sweet smell tainted by the scent of wounds and singed fur. Unmistakable to her mind. By the time her scarlet gaze finds the pale silhouette camouflaged against the snow and halts her own movements, it's far too late to turn away. She swallows hard as stinging, foul bile races up her throat, heart suddenly pounding out an unsteady rhythm against the walls of her chest. Of course she recognizes this woman, even having only glimpsed her. The memory is seared perfectly into her mind.
She falls back on her haunches as Liri draws nearer, thinking numbly that she's beautiful. Even so heavily scarred, hobbling along on three legs, she's a breathtaking sight. Her gaze drops suddenly, ears pinning to her skull as she realizes there is no way the pale woman could recognize her. Perhaps by scent — but, more likely, this is her true punishment: to be forced to do what she could not before, to have to meet the eyes of this beautiful, maimed woman and tell her that she is the reason her mate betrayed her, that she had been the catalyst for the destruction of her marriage. She'd never imagined this for herself — but maybe it's fitting. Maybe this is karma.