1/24/2026, 2:51 AM
![[Image: dd8rnsn-3f0d7905-62c6-4066-9c31-4588d1cb...iHgzqQRbN4]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/d2b3a0d4-24b8-4179-ad96-7bb8f88cc929/dd8rnsn-3f0d7905-62c6-4066-9c31-4588d1cb077a.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2QyYjNhMGQ0LTI0YjgtNDE3OS1hZDk2LTdiYjhmODhjYzkyOVwvZGQ4cm5zbi0zZjBkNzkwNS02MmM2LTQwNjYtOWMzMS00NTg4ZDFjYjA3N2EucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.sGIeAzj9HJrO3HXW7wAN0K4wShSrvVJW-iHgzqQRbN4)
The weight of her words nearly sent him prostrate upon the ground. It was a gentle admonishment, but habit was hard to break and he still grappled with the reality that he had been taken in by their generosity like an abandoned pup, a thought that filled him with a mixture of shame and gratitude immeasurable. How was he supposed to feel? To behave?
Once, he had been a gift; now he felt like a burden.
Yet Merneith is kind, and despite his warring halves he is relieved.
You are right, Queen,Mekh says, and he dares to shift his gaze in her direction. She is a young Queen, pale and slender beneath the moonlight, the softness of youth still padding her features; yet in her eyes there is the solemn resolve of a woman who has lived several lifetimes. He feels like a child in her presence, awkward and ungainly, his words ham-fisted and perhaps even misplaced.
Yet Merneith is kind.
I... may need time to think,he replied softly. His ears swiveled back reflexively.
But I do not believe I have the strength of a warrior. My heritage limits me; I will never possess the strength of one who is pureblooded. It is my worry that I would do disservice to the role with my... inadequacy.
The words were acrid on his tongue, but their truth could not be denied. He would always have the finer-boned build of a coyote, and it made him unclean.
