Larksong Grotto deep down, you know that we are the same

hoping for @Aspa if you have time! vague timeline

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the wind was softer here. a whisper that dragged through the high cliffs above. the cavernous grotto sprawled like a secret tucked away in the earth, the moss underfoot soft and lush. a sanctuary of sorts—a retreat smelling faintly of wet stone and blooming wildflowers. sunlight bled through cracks in rock, casting rays of gold through the space.

gjalla stood at the mouth of it, where the stone teeth of the earth opened wide, let the wind breathe through her fur. whole, now. stronger than she'd been since the conflict. her wound had healed ugly and half-hidden, a pale seam across her throat that no longer pained her.

she exhaled slow, stretched each limb with a familiar fluid grace. freedom, in full. not under watchful eyes, not even blackfell's shadow at her heels. just air and stone and the echo of her own heartbeat.

she liked it here—away from duty, away from memory. she came for solitude, yes, but more than that. she came to remember what it felt like to be alive, fully.