Sequoia Coast tripeka

What were they supposed to do?
Where were they supposed to go?
Where do you run when pain shackles your every move, every breath, every thought?
Dinah had grown restless in the passing hours, a shadow at her mother's hip; she ushers their siblings, whoever had come, with a silent force, and after a while, she takes it upon herself to lead with torch in hand.
With her juvenile knowledge of hunting, from the Totoka she clumsily captures a few bluegill. A pitiful meal, but enough to feed what remains of her loved ones. She had remained wordless, silent, even though the silence aches; and not once does she cry, for she fears that if she does again she may shatter; and her throat aches when words finally slip from her mouth. Woeful, tender; You should eat, Mama. 
It had not been spoken, but somehow Dinah knew it would be her who decided their direction. She thought of Gramma, of Seal, of Moonspear; but the thought of it, in that moment, brought a great sorrow churning through her stomach yet again.
A rustle in the reeds earns her attention and a flick of her head. A strange woman, her own catch clasped between teeth. We're fine, she says sharply, red-coiled body immediately lurching into a protective hover over the ailing matriarch. we don't need any help. Please leave.