Blacktail Deer Plateau and i will reap the locust crop

The dark red form against an empty field hit too close to home.

No, Maegi whispered, taking steps forward at a walk, then a trot, then an all-out ambling sprint as she tried to get to her daughter as quickly as possible. Not you, too; not you, too!

But she caught the rise and fall of ribs as she drew close, and the sound of laughter reached her ears.

Sakhmet, she said softly, and nosed at the girl's shoulder. Thin—much too thin—but her body was warm. Alive. Thank Jaes. I thought—

Did she remember her twin's death, out in the cold, alone? If he had only stayed put. . .

Maegi shook her head emphatically, laying down next to Sakhmet, her sides heaving. You're exhausted, she murmured, noting the hollowness of the young woman's face, the shadows of too-angular bones, showing through the mahogany pelt. What can I do for you?