3/15/2026, 2:40 AM
fa'liya slows when the herd comes into view. caribou move through the trees in loose shapes of brown, breath fogging in the cold. their hooves scrape crusted snow, digging for whatever the winter has spared beneath it.
would you like to pick? no, no she would not—she is a poor judge, she thinks, but the offer is to her benefit. it is a chance to prove both her competence and what she can handle.
her gaze moves through the herd slowly, carefully, the way she saw mother do it. she had no interest in the broad-shouldered cows or the thick-necked bull standing watch—instead on one nearer the back; a yearling, maybe. nothing strong enough to outrun them, small enough that the herd would abandon it should they succeed.
fa'liya shifts her weight, pressing her paws deeper into the powder as she lowers herself instinctively. her tail stills behind her. when she glances back at caan, there’s something tight in her expression—not quite fear, not quite excitement. perhaps both.
would you like to pick? no, no she would not—she is a poor judge, she thinks, but the offer is to her benefit. it is a chance to prove both her competence and what she can handle.
her gaze moves through the herd slowly, carefully, the way she saw mother do it. she had no interest in the broad-shouldered cows or the thick-necked bull standing watch—instead on one nearer the back; a yearling, maybe. nothing strong enough to outrun them, small enough that the herd would abandon it should they succeed.
that one,she murmurs, nose tipping toward it.
fa'liya shifts her weight, pressing her paws deeper into the powder as she lowers herself instinctively. her tail stills behind her. when she glances back at caan, there’s something tight in her expression—not quite fear, not quite excitement. perhaps both.