King Elk Forest ≼ völuspá

she did not rise. not at first, anyways. the command rolled over her like distant thunder, but her body stayed low, pressed thin to the earth as if the fire still lived beneath her skin.

a soft, strangled whine slipped out — cracked, broken at the edges — and she lifted one trembling paw to her throat. a simple gesture. explanation, apology, warning. breath but no voice.

slowly she pushed herself halfway upright, ribs shuddering as she obeyed him in part, not in full. golden eyes flicked up to his towering shape, wary and questioning, her tail tight to her hocks as another faint whine rasped free.