Duck Lake I want to see you smile but know that means I'll have to leave

bjarna listened, above all else.

she did not muddle her mind trying to understand the words she could not. she collected those that she did while she held reverie. her heart opened wide to all things now, even those things she did not understand.

that even if she did speak her words better, she still would not understand.

at the end of it all, there was a small sound in the back of her throat. like a knowing systir, but one who was not here to say i told you so. one who wished her systir had never come to this. the tangled mess of tears and long spooled words spun of not gold but seemingly overwhelming emotion.

she offered a kiss to her crown. soft and smoothing in its motion.

rest, she offered now. there would be no rush. the packs in the valley were intertwined and seemed to tend to one another in some way. she would fight tooth and nail if any thought to question her tending to what may as well be her own blood.

bjarna care. luhve systir.

she wished she had something grand to say that did not come from the short-faced mouth of a girl too young for all the roles she filled.