the scent reached her before the sound of paws—warm, feathery, tinged with the iron tang of blood and evergreen. her ears twitched, head lifting, antler clutched awkwardly between her teeth. blue eyes found the silver bulk of a woman approaching. her scent is familiar where her name is not—her scent lingers on the girl's father. her tail gave the smallest stir against the snow, uncertain but not unfriendly. pushing up on her forelegs, the girl sat up and let the antler drop with a muted clack at her paws.
her nose lifted, curiosity plain on her face. the ptarmigan’s scent was rich, new. her tongue flicked over her teeth, and a small, breathy sound pushed past her throat—a soft whuff, questioning. for me?
![[Image: 92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png)