11/16/2025, 3:24 PM
gjalla halts mid-step, weight settling evenly across all four paws. she does not recoil at the address, nor does she angle herself in defense. the dawn cut a pale line across her back, caught in the shag of her long coat, in the cold blue of her eyes when she finally lifted them toward the stranger’s voice.
the woman before her is a stormcloud made flesh, tall and sharp, stitched together with old discipline. the words she threw were barked like an order, but gjalla had weathered worse than another soldier's posturing. her stance told a story; capable and unflinching, not fool enough to retreat. good. gjalla preferred wolves honest in their bearing.
she let the silence run a beat before the start of a smile crosses her face—
the woman before her is a stormcloud made flesh, tall and sharp, stitched together with old discipline. the words she threw were barked like an order, but gjalla had weathered worse than another soldier's posturing. her stance told a story; capable and unflinching, not fool enough to retreat. good. gjalla preferred wolves honest in their bearing.
i have learned enough caution for three lifetimes,she answered, low but firm—a winter wind dragging across stone.
if i needed more, i wouldn’t be standing here.
she let the silence run a beat before the start of a smile crosses her face—
that, and it is a long walk back up.she added.
