1/4/2026, 10:44 AM
y’var’la caught the shift in him—not jealousy but hesitation. she wondered, briefly, for deeper meaning, but she quickly refocuses to secure an uncontested victory.
the second heron flushed late, skimming low along the waterline. she chased it down in silence, a sharp burst of speed, and struck clean. the last tried higher, wings beating hard for distance, but the reeds betrayed it, tangling just long enough for her to spring.
each catch she dragged back to the bank like marks on a tally. her gaze slid briefly to the loon in his jaws, then back to his face, something like understanding there. whatever had driven her away from the herons, she could respect.
the second heron flushed late, skimming low along the waterline. she chased it down in silence, a sharp burst of speed, and struck clean. the last tried higher, wings beating hard for distance, but the reeds betrayed it, tangling just long enough for her to spring.
each catch she dragged back to the bank like marks on a tally. her gaze slid briefly to the loon in his jaws, then back to his face, something like understanding there. whatever had driven her away from the herons, she could respect.
i suppose i've won, then,she said lightly.