Duskfire Glacier stone-age mind in a space-world age

His gaze remained fixed upon Tuwawi, and he shivered beneath the cutting stare she ushered in return. Her eyes convicted him, and his chest tightened, and even more than before his voice was lost to the cool dread that filled his core.

She spoke before he could find his voice, and though the queen's voice was feeble, her words were enough to catch the man’s attention rapt. The ghost had returned, as she had promised long ago, but not for him. A thin line drew across Malachi's brows at the mention of Danica, for he had known nothing of her private involvement in the matter. Had she caught scent of the child, too? Before deeper musing could take hold, the sound of his name coursed a chill through his spine, and he felt Tuwawi’s gaze upon him again. With a beat of hesitation he locked his eyes upon her. Time seemed forever before she spoke again, and her simple words convicted him. Malachi parted his mouth again to speak, but Tuwawi’s fire had yet to burn dry, and he clicked his teeth shut as her crackling anger swallowed the clearing like cold flames.

Malachi closed his eyes against her, shielding his heart from the twisted look that consumed the ember’s face, contorted with rage and hate and grief. He could not look upon her, ripe with his own shame and distilled at the fearsome hush of her voice. Her words only deepened the chill that bit harder than the winter’s air. To make others suffer was the last thing he wanted to do.

Before he could gather himself, Scarlett spoke, and Malachi turned his ear to hear her rebuttal. Every word sent a bold refute against Tuwawi's actions and her desire for war, and Malachi shifted - yet with every one, he agreed. Was violence the only answer, or simply all the ember now knew? ”Scarlett’s right,” his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat before he spoke again. ”There has to be another way.”

He trained his eyes upon Tuwawi, and addressed her directly - as she had done to him. He felt his hackles bristle with fear of what revealing his concealment of Larus could bring, but he knew he could hide the knowledge no longer. It was with hope they could avoid war that he had hid this from her, and that he had sought answers on his own. But everything was on the table now, and when he parted his mouth for the third time that night, words finally came. ”Her name is Caiaphas. I came across her near Duskfire and yes, I smelt Larus on her fur,” he swallowed, but stopped his tongue from flashing compulsively across his lips. ”I tried to talk her into returning him to us. She promised to speak with her Alpha and return with his answer. I sought her out after that, but I - I couldn’t find her. I - ” his throat ran dry and his words stuck again. He cast a hesitant look toward Scarlett before returning his attention to Tuwawi. His heart never stilled. ”I fear this is the answer.”