Firefly Ravine there in the smoke

She flinched, then hated that she did. Her heart beat much more quickly than she wanted to admit.

Those questions would not sway the woman. But she would not stop here. She forced herself to release a little tension - to remind herself that there was still hope, however slim, that this would not escalate into a fight. That this woman did not want to fight.

Neither of them did, but they were willing to.

Silence lingered between the two for the moment. She watched as the Lanzadoii woman scoured the chasm below, and something flickered on her face. She must have found something of importance - something that would let her escape with Ghenaya.

No time for deliberation, it appeared. It would have to be words. If not words, then claws and teeth. 

Let me ask of you: what does Sun Eater seek? she challenged again, keeping her voice not aggressive but not gentle. Does he not bring violence where he goes? Does Ghenaya not deserve peace at such a vulnerable age? A pause. She did not know how her words would land with the woman, but what other choice was there but to keep going? You see Star Eater - Morwenna - as the bringer of the war, but was it not Sun Eater who went after Gjalla and caused the conflict to explode? 

Too much came rushing into her mind. She filtered logic from instinct, pushing her urge to plead for Ghenaya down, down, into her chest and away from where the woman could see.

None of her words were perfect, she knew, but she was trying with whatever she could think of. Desperation, too much of it,

She tried to think, to keep words from tumbling out when they did not belong. Can a mother whose husband attempts to kill her sister moments after she gives birth have any trust in him as a father? The trek to the sea came back to her mind. And when the time came to march away from the war, was it such a terrible crime for her to let those she trusted carry her pups?

The pups are Lanzadoii, but has Sun Eater proven himself to be a better parent than Star Eater? Who is it with the milk, the warmth, the care of a mother, the will to march to infinity to bring peace to her pups? To bring peace to Ghenaya?

edit: forgot a word