Bearclaw Valley Silence, then...

she does not speak. gestures, instead. does she have speech, or is she like Mother—without words? the kinship Avicus had felt upon seeing her partial-red pelt grows still more. 

and, yet, she is speechless now, too.

Merrick arrives and she breathes a sigh of relief, though the feeling quickly dissipates as her father does not speak up. he stands to the side, instead, and Avicus casts him a querulous glance. he handles these scenes, does he not? he had been the one from whom she'd taken greetings, parting words, pleasantries. . .

his silence only hinders her further. she opens her mouth, releases a small ah sound, then closes it again. ah—hunt? she manages, staring at the woman. her eyes rake over the tall stature and ample musculature. fight?

she thinks of Evien, then. of the wicked pale woman, her brother's broken body. enemies all around. hunting and fighting is not enough.

kill? Avicus asks, and her voice is now cool and sharp as a razor's edge.