Herbalists' Cache ticking time

star eater releases a low, wolfish purr, the sound curling from her throat as nagruk's touch lingers beneath her ear. something primal, something pleased.
the accomplishment, she breathes, her voice thick as she does not pull away, is starting new life... and killing my old one.
there is weight to those words, but no sorrow. no regret. only the sharp edge of certainty, of a woman who has chosen her path and does not look back.
her silver eyes gleam as she watches nagruk, studying her, liking what she sees. she is strong—like the lanzadoii, like the saatsine, like her.
and gods, her body knows it.
her hormones rage, a fire beneath her skin, making her hyper-aware of every shift, every breath between them. she does not step back, does not temper the closeness, indulging in it. her nose drifts, tracing along nagruk’s jaw, her breath warm where it lands.
you approve, she muses, a whisper between them, playful, testing. her teeth flash, just barely grazing the fur of nagruk’s cheek.
it is not submission she seeks. not from nagruk.
but she wonders how far the other woman is willing to go.