Herbalists' Cache mask off

morwenna turned toward her with a gentler slant to her expression, the tension in her jaw softening as she looked upon the girl. her eyes, though lined with weariness, held a quiet glow—hope, perhaps, or the fragile thing left in its wake.
i know you will, she said, and her voice was steady, warm in its truth. nutuyikruk might not have trusted her, not yet—not fully—but morwenna had lived long enough to see where trust bloomed slowly and still held value.
she glanced toward the den, to the pups nestled deep in the shadows. her children. they breathed, they lived, and that was enough. for now.
they’ll remember love before they remember war, she murmured, mostly to herself, but with a smile that touched her voice.

fade?