Sleepy Fox Hollow where the sun comes through

Tonight, she prayed for Sakhmet. 

It was cloudy, but no longer snowing. The fresh white blanket surrounded her; she had found a place beneath a couple of fallen timbers that was relatively warm and dry. Still, her breath fogged, and she shivered — but from grief, more likely, than the cold she barely felt. 

My lord, my god, she whispered in Daedric. Watch over my daughter. Keep her safe from harm. Children are dearest to you, and those who would hurt them are destined to suffer.

Maegi knew she should be out looking for Sakhmet. She should never rest until the girl was found. But part of her wondered. . .was she lost, or just gone? Had Sakhmet left of her own volition, tired of a mother who had failed to keep not one but two of her brothers alive?

This potential abandonment cut deeper than the rest, for while Maegi could bear her shortcomings as a leader, she could never forgive herself for letting her children down. For being an unfit mother. 

Maybe it was best to not know the depths of Sakhmet's disappointment. Best not to explore the bounds of her own self-hatred.

Hear me, o Jaes, she called out, a little louder, now. Her voice rose into the icy air like the echo of a distant cry, muted with time and space. For I am your most fervent disciple.

Zealotry was all she had.