Herbalists' Cache long live the queen

after sobeille had vanished down the river, she had abandoned the hunt. consequences be damned; hawk would not waste her fucking time traveling halfway across the globe chasing after a ghost. her cousin's orders meant nothing to her—the only reason why she'd even obeyed was for star-woman.

and for sivaak. it is the thought of her woman and her cubs that called to her. beckoned her back home. she would face her cousin again, if it came down to it. she would accept her defeat but she would not accept his ego, his hunger to squander women beneath his feet. not again.

and so, she ran. tearing through thicket and grass, barreling back toward saatsine borders, unaware of the chaos that would await her there. soft grass slowly morphed into wet snow the further north she charged. 

the path set so very clearly in her mind, the one that led to sivaak and cubs, just happened to lead her toward star-woman's shelter. where the queen should be nursing her little ones, tucked away and safe. but something felt wrong. 

and she couldn't just ran past. "my queen!" came her frenzied, worried call, thunderous and mighty. chest heaving and lungs burning feverishly, she would not rest until she knew her queen and her starlings were safe.