mother dear see here see here

Dantalian was somewhat mollified by her mother's hug and her insistence that she wasn't always going to be sick. It was really hard to believe that when she'd been sick her whole life. Yes, her "whole life" so far consisted of a season and a half, but to her it felt like a lifetime. She had been sick forever and it sucked. Especially since she could watch her always well and energetic brother bounce around the den site. "Are you sure? It doesn't feel like it sometimes."

Now for the thing that had been bothering her. "You know how papa says Abraxas are big and strong?" That was like the cornerstone of every story he told her. How the strong survived and carved out a place for the next generation. Pyrrhic told stories of giants and monsters, and righteous showdowns. It was all very cool, very impressive stuff. And then there was her. Tiny. Sick all the time. "What if I'm no good?"