Sunset Valley honor, empty-mouthed

alone for now, but @Kuvageegai cannot be far off. rarely is.

nose to the ground she chuffs, lip curling as tongue flicks to better drink in the scent of others. male and female alike, stinking similarly of the pair she met recently. it carries on the wind, a warning, and she turns to move west. for now she will seek a weaker claim, territory not so readily sought after. and perhaps, after her daughters are born, this.

she will be too heavy to hunt alone soon, too unwieldy. back when she led the steppe, her daughters took up the mantle during such a time. she has only kuva now, and they must rely on each other. she finds the thought does not appall her. there is warmth in the presence of another woman. there is kinship.

while at first they slept far apart, viewing distance, night by night the two of them drew closer. now they sleep most nights with flanks touching, shoulder to shoulder. it is a comfort she is loath to let go of.

it is with this in mind that she seeks out a resting place, the familiar ache of pregnancy wearing thin at her.