to the third power

Everything in her got weaker and softer when Poem spoke. Abaven is lucky to have you leading us. Was it true? Did she really believe that? Her sister wasn't a liar and she didn't speak without thinking, but Theory could hardly believe her ears. It felt like she'd been waiting for someone to say it for so long. She'd been struggling to do her best, but since the raid was over, she felt like she'd been just muddling through it all. Nothing came easy any more - but with Poem and Motif by her side, her burden was certainly lessened. Theory swallowed hard and blinked back tears that still managed to slip past her lashes. Dark tracks made their way down her muzzle and slipped off of the tip of her nose. "Thank you. Thank you," she said, her voice stuck an octave higher than usual. "I needed to hear that. Of course I knew it... but I also needed to hear it," she whimpered. Even though she felt weak, she knew her sisters would bolster her up. She could do this if they were by her side. She could do anything.