Moonspear you were never made to fly

As the seconds ticked by, she gazed out over the world below; there was little that she actually saw and even fewer things fully perceived, yet she could not tear her eyes away. Were her parents watching her? Could they see? She could think of nothing that she would not give up if it meant seeing them again—she wanted more walks with mama, more talks with papa. She wanted to learn from them, begin to understand things that only they could explain to her with their vast knowledge. And, truth be told, she needed them back: Yama doubted the longevity of her existence in a world where her parents no longer existed.

But maybe she could join them.

Unknowingly, the young girl’s body began to rock, teetering on the edge of a rocky outcropping. How easy she could fall, entirely unaware of what she was doing—or maybe she could even jump, body thrown in an effort to find her way to mama and papa even quicker. Would they be happy to see her?

Wouldn’t Arcturus miss her?

The thought grounded her: Arcturus, her dear brother, was suffering just as much as she was—she couldn’t leave him to endure the pain alone, not so soon after their shared loss. Yama blinked, seeing for perhaps the first time just how high she was, and how close to the edge she lingered. She drew in a deep breath and steadily let it out, calming herself enough to carefully step back and away from the ledge. Someday she would join her parents but today was not the day—she wasn’t ready, not yet.

Once far enough from danger, Yama turned slowly with the intention of making her way down the mountain—the only problem being that she had hardly spun around and was already staring into the eyes of another wolf. She had seen him on the day of the announcement, after her parents had both passed and her sister rose to power, and knew that he was of the pack. But moments ago, when she was contemplating her options, he’d practically been invisible; she hadn’t wanted to see anyone else there and her eyes, acting as blind as an eyeless newt, had granted her wish. But now she saw, and the seemingly sudden appearance was a true shock to her system.

Yama’s pulse increased tenfold, heart pounding so violently that she was surprised it hadn’t emerged from her chest yet. She could feel her mouth running dry and had she been human, her skin would have turned as white as a sheet because he had seen her. She found herself frozen to the ground she stood on, body suddenly heavy and limbs unwilling to carry her away. What did he want? What would he do? A building tremble worked its way down her body, nerves alive and panic settling deep into her breast—

—what did he want?