Bearclaw Valley your dark splendor

whatever he had expected evien to say, it was not this.
for an entire minute he stared patiently at the young healer, brain burning too slowly through the information given.
a sharp tic yanked at the skin beneath his eye.
he thought of the curled beings inside his lover
grubs
the tic came again again again again
indra gasping her last within his jaws
indra watching him fondly as he chased birds inside bearclaw
indra nudging him closer despite his milk teeth
merrick's mouth twitched. he clapped a paw to the horrid mosquito drone of his tic tic tic'ing eye.
"what?"