Bearclaw Valley remember me,

there is relief blown out in a sigh she'd not known she'd been holding in. the first half of her life had been nothing but a constant continual rush of adrenaline. war, familial feuding, fleeing, marriage, leadership, childbirth, abandonment, loss, grief.

and for the first time in a long time, nephele felt as if she could just breathe.

a date. "that sounds nice."

she could work toward that while plucking out the nails that barred the door to her heart. need it be done by hammer or claws, she would get them free.

she looked to him, a flutter in her chest she'd not had before now. "i'll be looking forward to it."