10/27/2026, 2:45 PM
(This post was last modified: Yesterday, 2:09 PM by Fa'liya.
Edit Reason: my first paragraph got eaten.. okay...
)
the herd has gathered along the lower slopes, where the last stubborn grasses survive beneath a thin crust of frost. their coats have thickened considerably since summer, and fa’liya finds herself envying them as the morning wind combs through her own.
fa'liya moves quietly between their great bodies, familiar enough now that few bother to acknowledge her passage. a cow pauses to sniff her ear before returning to her grazing, a gesture fa’liya receives with a faint, affectionate flick of her tail.
the mountains rise pale against the southern sky. somewhere beyond them lies the place she has visited recently, though she keeps her attention upon the living company surrounding her. her breath catches unpleasantly when she attempts the incline. she pauses, swallowing against a familiar tightness in her chest, and turns at the sound of movement behind her.