i am a destroyer

The saffron-crested mother did not often visit the borders, preferring the solitude of the glacier's heart. Her life had been too turbulent, too dramatic for the wilds to entice the Sveijarn otherwise. The outlands had nothing for her. They had taken Larus, Jokull, Valtyr, and now Njal. The glacier was home. The glacier had Maera. The glacier was safe.

Though she thought little of Scarlett, a bristle of envy made her mane spike when she imagined the blood-eyed wolf performing a warden's duty. What kind of encounters - what kind of information - had they shared? Already she had indulged in the wonder days of Maera's youth, stolen from her mother by man. Though another might have given thanks to the surrogate, Tuwawi held nothing but rotting contempt for the fine-figured woman; perhaps naively. Should she take back up the role of protector? Patrol the borders once again? The thought was tiring, and spurred her gaze to drift to the fields where a wolf moved swiftly towards her.

The dethroned's eyes steeled upon the domino vagrant, ruddy ears cupped forth, nose lifting to the wind. A sharp and bitter saline taste riddled the air - one Tuwawi knew from years ago. Siren.