4/14/2026, 4:18 AM
![[Image: de30rbh-3b0683a6-441b-43e3-821f-97de2c91...kDaKDynxTk]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9de0281f-9de0-407a-a8c3-cff68eced06b/de30rbh-3b0683a6-441b-43e3-821f-97de2c917037.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi85ZGUwMjgxZi05ZGUwLTQwN2EtYThjMy1jZmY2OGVjZWQwNmIvZGUzMHJiaC0zYjA2ODNhNi00NDFiLTQzZTMtODIxZi05N2RlMmM5MTcwMzcuZ2lmIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.X3AR7ztue9yyAPqjXnKt7hzjl9ocfI1zPkDaKDynxTk)
timeskip!
gjalla surfaces gradually. the river no longer roars in her ears, and finally her fever has settled. in it's wake, it left low warmth, banked embers instead of wildfire. whatever had burned through her the night before has settled into something else entirely—something without name nor purpose, but it exists and it lingers.
the ground beneath them is cold, but it does not reach her—not where she lies half-draped across him, cheek pressed to the broad plane of his chest. beneath her, a soldier at rest, for once. her lashes part only slightly, enough to take in the dim wash of morning light stretching thin across the land, catching in the edges of his form, in the rough lines carved by years and war.
gjalla tilts her head just enough to look up at him, tracing the lines of his face as if to ensure it was more than mere fantasy, a fever-induced dream. a pleasant surprise it is to see him in flesh and know that what transpired was real. the corner of her mouth shifts into a smile, almost there and then gone again.
her paw shifts to rest more fully against him, feeling the warmth there, the solidness of it. real. present. a breath leaves her, quieter than sleep.
up, seu.
