Qeya River brother's blood

star eater watched her from where she lay, the weight of her own thoughts pressing heavy upon her spine. gjalla did not sit. that was the first thing she noticed, and it was enough to tell her everything she needed to know.
she exhaled, slow and measured, eyes flicking over her sister's frame, searching for something unsaid between them.
what of my brother? she asked at last, voice quiet, but firm. she knew the answer before she even spoke it. knew it in the way gjalla held herself, in the way the air between them felt taut, unyielding.
and yet, she waited. because to speak it aloud was to make it real.