Whitebark Stream red sun rises

star eater inhaled slowly, the cool air of the taiga filling her lungs. she regarded veksar with something close to amusement, but there was weight to it—something knowing.
yes. her voice was quiet but firm. i believe you were meant to be found.
no one found their way to saatsine by accident.
she studied him for a long moment before shifting, shaking loose the tension that had settled in her shoulders. when he spoke of his family, she felt the pull of something old—something that had once been warm, before it had turned to ash.
there was tension, she admitted, watching his face carefully. you were too young to see it.
blackmarch. proud, fierce, unyielding. she had once enjoyed their company. when the weight of blood and war had not yet settled on their backs, when they had not yet become what they were.
before they changed, she said finally, her voice carrying something wistful, something edged. liked them.
but nothing stays the same. not forever.