6/19/2026, 3:10 AM
mh. still here, as if staying had been a choice. as if she had not been dragged into every dawn by teeth and duty and the stubborn, ugly machinery of a body too broken to thrive and too spiteful to die.
her mouth tightens. for one sharp second, something cruel rises in her throat alongside the bile. she wants to tell him that the two things did not coincide. roots were still here when they rotted. bones were still here after the meat had been torn away.
but he is little. little enough to mean it, so fa’liya says nothing at first. she lowers her gaze to his paws again, to the damp earth clinging there, and hates the strange ache that moves through her at the sight. he had helped with no disgust. no flinch. no great show of mercy. he had simply seen something shameful and covered it.
her mouth tightens. for one sharp second, something cruel rises in her throat alongside the bile. she wants to tell him that the two things did not coincide. roots were still here when they rotted. bones were still here after the meat had been torn away.
but he is little. little enough to mean it, so fa’liya says nothing at first. she lowers her gaze to his paws again, to the damp earth clinging there, and hates the strange ache that moves through her at the sight. he had helped with no disgust. no flinch. no great show of mercy. he had simply seen something shameful and covered it.
it is the least i can do, i think.she murmurs before twisting on her heels, tossing the boy a sidelong glance, coaxing him along.
come. you should wash your paws off.