1/13/2026, 10:01 PM
the girl smells him before she sees him—blood and brine over snow. father. her spine tightens immediately, guardhairs rising like a porcupine raising it's quills against a threat. she drags in a breath that catches halfway down and forces it lower, slower, until the wheeze thins to a manageable rasp. her head lifts. shoulders square. she pushes herself upright in a single breath.
when cen crests into view, she does not look at him right away. her gaze fixes past him, toward the herds she had been watching, as if she has been here on purpose. as if it was vigilance and not sulking. her chest flutters beneath the effort of standing still, breath shallow and quick, but she keeps it even enough to pass.
her ears flatten then snap upright again, posture snapping into place like drilled muscle memory. powder-blue eyes flick up at him only when he nears, and it is like staring into her own reflection.
when cen crests into view, she does not look at him right away. her gaze fixes past him, toward the herds she had been watching, as if she has been here on purpose. as if it was vigilance and not sulking. her chest flutters beneath the effort of standing still, breath shallow and quick, but she keeps it even enough to pass.
her ears flatten then snap upright again, posture snapping into place like drilled muscle memory. powder-blue eyes flick up at him only when he nears, and it is like staring into her own reflection.
father,she murmurs, tucking her chin to him in greeting.