Herbalists' Cache futurama

star eater's jaw tightens. she watches gjalla carefully, as if her gaze alone could smooth out the tension folded between them. but it only grows, gnawing at the edges of her heart until she cannot hold the silence any longer.
she sucks in a breath, sharp and brittle. i just… the words falter, dissolve like frost against her tongue. her gaze falls to the snow, to the dewclaws laid with such care. protection. blessings. and yet, who would protect her? who would bless her children?
a sigh, soft and long. my mother is dead. there are no elders here. her voice wavers, quieter now. i thought you would be there when they are born. help me. her throat tightens as she turns her eyes back to gjalla, searching, needing. like i would help you.
it feels too raw to say, but she lets it sit between them anyway, exposed and trembling. because gjalla is her sister in all the ways that matter. because there is no one else she trusts to keep her steady when the pain comes and the blood runs and the pups take their first breath.
and yet now… she feels the space widening. the choice made. not a wish, no. but a choice all the same.