Redhawk Caldera she is fierce want, blazing ambition

He didn’t look away, even though grief made it hard to meet her eyes. There was gratitude there—deep and aching—but also worry, protective instinct flickering through the pain.

He signed, slower, heavier:

-I do not want… you risk… or Tzar.-

A beat. His breath hitched again.

-He is my son… not your burden.-

The words weren’t stern—just raw, cracked along the edges by fear.

Hotah looked past her for a moment, into the fog that had swallowed half the world. Then back to her, softer.

For once, he didn't have the answer; no funny quip to come back with, nothing but the emptiness that only a father could hold.