Northstar Vale My world is burning to the ground…(MdC members highly welcome)

His eyes widened at her ready acceptance, a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding rushing from his lungs in relief. She was letting him stay. Did she see him as so unstable, so broken, that he was unfit to survive in the wilds again? The thought sank heavily in his chest.

But she wasn’t wrong. He had been hurt—again and again, over the years, by human hands. Scars carved their stories into his mind and body, their presence lingering like ghosts. He could still feel them: the phantom sting of rough fists, the bite of sharp metal against his skin. Only the thick wild fur gifted by his mother concealed them when it grew long enough, a mercy he was grateful for. If only his mind could be just as easily covered.

His gaze followed hers to the settlement, and realization crept in—his outburst could have cost him dearly. He should have felt relief that no one, especially Chaudry, had witnessed it. Instead, self-loathing settled over him like a suffocating weight.

Viskani’s offer of water was a welcome distraction. He nodded, coughing once, suddenly aware of how much he had missed her warmth as she pulled away. Shame prickled at him. He hadn’t realized just how starved he was for kindness, for comfort—until now, when he finally felt the absence of it.

“Lead the way, I will follow.”