Serpent Lake Eye, tooth, claw, death

he struggles to make sense of the many emotions comprising the fabric of her face; but it’s the slumped shoulders, the softening of that beautiful remaining eye. 

a smile buds across his features as her little joke breaks the tension between them. he’s relieved. by impulse he traces his own ruined eye to show they were a matching pair. muy bonita. comes his soft correction, broken then by safiya’s sudden movement forward. 

safiya? he reaches for her, hauling her upright and setting her there gently as if she were his own daughter. ¿qué te pasa?