Blackfeather Woods i'll wait to be forgiven, maybe i never will

astara had stepped back, allowing maegi time and space to process the gristly sight. she kept her gaze averted, studying the dark column of trees with an inscrutable look clouding her expression. she only tore her gaze from the bare canopy when maegi spoke, and her eyes fell on the slim bone with a sense of sorrow.

of course it was her mother -- but as maegi continued elaborate, she felt a chill grip her heart. like so much of blackfeather, maegi had not been there in the end -- her mother's end -- blackfeather's end. it had only been her, averna, and relmyna. even kove had only been a lingering presence, no more substantial than the shade of a ghoul.

she refused to meet maegi's gaze, for a welt of tears had risen to her eyes as maegi brought up the end, and relmyna's death. 

apologies didn't matter, being here now didn't matter to astara. none of it did - relmyna was dead and her cubs lived on, motherless and loveless in the dark forest that cloistered them like a secret.


her fur on end, astara rose suddenly. she was stiff-legged and could feel a wave of adolescent rage and crippling hysteria begin to overcome her. none of them had been there - not maegi, not damien, not wintersbane, not flicker, not tundra - a bile rose in her mouth and the girl quickly stalked away, fur bristling and head held tilted to prevent the tears from sliding down her burning cheeks.