Shadowwyn Moor Muradoii

the caribou were strong here, thriving under the careful watch of a guardian who understood the balance between life and necessity. it was a sight she had not seen in some time, and it both soothed and stirred her.

the pale woman didn’t answer immediately, her gaze shifting to the older wolf beside her. meleys carried an air of calm authority, but suliya could sense the weight of her question, the unspoken truths it sought to unravel.

she exhaled slowly, her breath curling into the air like smoke. my brother, she began, her voice steady but laced with something darker, colder. he took more than the herd could give. calves, mothers, the weak, the strong—it didn’t matter. all were prey to him.

her gaze returned to the caribou, watching the young buck prance boldly before its mother’s watchful eyes. he would have taken everything, left nothing but bones and silence. her tone grew quieter, almost a whisper, but no less firm. so i left. for their sake. for my own.

suliya turned her gaze back to meleys, her expression sharp and unyielding. a bad man, she said simply, as if that explained everything—and perhaps, to her, it did. she would not speak his name here; the caribou deserved better than the shadow of him.