Bearclaw Valley god, i hope it all goes away

he snaps as quickly as she gets the word out. she recoiled instinctively, like a bird that had flown too close to a storm. the sudden shift in his demeanor was well deserved, she had been self-aware but far too nosy in the face of a stranger, even if the reaction startled her.

her ears flattened against her skull, eyes darting to the ground, heart leapt into her throat as if she was bracing for impact. she could feel blood rushing in her ears, each word a little more stifling than the last.

her eyes flicked up, only to meet the ground again, the corners of her mouth pulled into a tight line. awkward. don't say anything else.

when he spoke again, the shift wasn’t much kinder—still blunt, but something else lingered in the tension. the mention of winslet was a sore spot. for a moment, she thought maybe—maybe there was something beneath the gruff exterior. it vanished as soon as it appeared.

a border sweep. she could do that. she nodded quietly, her chest tightening. part of her wanted to make herself scarce, leave the interaction where it was before she made it any worse, but no, she couldn’t. at the very least, it would be good to walk the borders and familiarize herself with someone there to stop her from falling into a trap.