Dawnlark Plains ι

morwenna moved like a ghost, silent, yet her presence was a force that could not be ignored. the weight of milk pulled at her belly, but she did not falter. when ayovi spoke, she did not hesitate—she leapt down, landing before her with a heavy thud, snatching the herbs with a vicious grip, as if tearing fate itself from the mountain woman’s jaws.
you are too late, she rasped, voice hoarse from grief, from fury. she pressed her nose briefly to the bundle, inhaling the bitter scent of medicine, of healing, of something that would not undo what had already been done.
her throat worked around a swallowed sob. she would not cry—not here, not now.
under different circumstances, ayovi of winsook, i would have liked to hunt with you, she admitted, and for the briefest moment, there was something softer beneath the rage. but it was fleeting, devoured by the storm in her chest.
her head lifted, and her voice dropped, quieter, heavier. but this is no place for children. her tail flicked once, sharply, as her gaze locked onto ayovi's, unwavering. the war is coming. the war chief has set her sights far. and when my husband— she swallowed, bile rising in her throat, when he almost killed my sister...
her breath shuddered out, and for a single moment, the weight of it all pressed upon her.
but then, she straightened. her resolve hardened.
sun eater is no longer in control, she said, voice raw. nagruk of tartok leads. i do not know her mind, but i— her breath caught. her tongue felt thick, heavy, unable to shape the truth that clawed its way up her throat.
i am nothing.
a truth she had fought against, but now, spoken aloud, it was a wound deeper than any blade could cut. nothing but a wife. a womb.
they want to kill my sister. again, after my husband had his way.
the words left her like a curse, like something unholy. her chest heaved. rage simmered beneath her skin, rage that was not yet ready to be unleashed, but it burned, waiting, seething.
take your herbs back to your mountain, she muttered. it is no longer a battle of healers.

encouraging maybe @Other Shore to come stand beside star eater ;D?