Noctisardor Bypass glistening shards

morwenna stayed low in the snow, breath thin, the herbs still scattered where they’d fallen. the white one drew the brute’s attention with words sharp enough to cut the wind, and she was grateful—silently, fiercely—for it.

two males, loud enough, large enough, to rip open every old wound.

she did not step forward. she did not speak.

instead, she slid one paw back, drawing further into the shadowed line of the treeline, her body angled to flee if either of them turned toward her. her eyes stayed fixed on them—wide, bright, unblinking—fear sharp in the air around her like frost.

a soft exhale left her, hardly a sound at all.