10/27/2026, 3:01 PM
the stream has begun to freeze along its shallower banks. thin plates of ice gather where the current grows sluggish, breaking apart beneath the occasional careless hoof of a caribou. fa’liya watches them drift downstream before lowering her muzzle to drink. the water is painfully cold. she takes only a little, pausing between mouthfuls to ease the discomfort gathering beneath her ribs.
behind her, the herd mills about in quiet conversation. a cow calls for her calf, and somewhere farther upstream comes the answering bleat, thin and insistent. fa’liya lifts her head to listen. she has been thinking rather often about the things that survive winter. how little they sometimes resemble themselves come spring.
her reflection wavers beneath the current, pale eyes distorted beyond recognition. she studies it for a moment, then reaches forward to drink again.
behind her, the herd mills about in quiet conversation. a cow calls for her calf, and somewhere farther upstream comes the answering bleat, thin and insistent. fa’liya lifts her head to listen. she has been thinking rather often about the things that survive winter. how little they sometimes resemble themselves come spring.
her reflection wavers beneath the current, pale eyes distorted beyond recognition. she studies it for a moment, then reaches forward to drink again.