Lost Creek Hollow my light

a breath left her as though she had held it too long. his answer, simple but firm, swirled in her chest, easing the knot of worry she had not known she carried. the words wrapped themselves around her like the pelt she bore, a comfort, a binding fate. they would walk with the saatsine. she would walk with him.

her gaze lowered, a rare softness overtaking her features. morwenna did not shy from his touch; instead, she leaned into it, the weight of his chin against her crown grounding her in a way she hadn’t expected. his possessiveness wasn’t unwelcome—she met it with her own quiet submission, her muzzle brushing the underside of his neck. a promise without words.

we will need to speak with my chieftain, she murmured after a long silence, her voice steady, though her mind raced. akavir... or arlette. her heart lingered on the latter name, her brow furrowing slightly in thought. she would understand, wouldn’t she?

arlette. a mother. a woman who knew the weight of choices that bound lives together. surely, she would see this for what it was—a decision not of impulse, but of necessity, of destiny.

she shifted slightly, her gaze lifting to meet sun eater’s. there was resolve there now, clear and unwavering. whatever they ask, i will give. this is what i choose.

she would leave the creek, her family, the remnants of her past. and in doing so, she would walk forward, soul entwined with his, into the unknown.