Golden Glade skylark

Faun’s delicate body almost gave way when words rolled over her ears. The girl gave a frightened jerk away on instinct more than good sense, her eyes squeezing shut in preparation.

Her heart jackhammered, but nothing came. She opened her eyes, slowly, processing the words as she did. And as she rolled them over in her mind, she gave a wordless nod, her ears wilting back to flatten against her skull as she wrestled with the need to cry. Kind words, the first she had heard in so many days of harshness and silence. She didn’t know how much her tattered soul starved for them.