I'll Never See You Again if I Can't Help It

Noor's nickname rooted her to the spot. Her eyes widened for a moment, then grew heavy-lidded. All of the adrenaline that had pumped through her veins was exiting her body in great waves, and with each inhale, she felt so, so tired. Tired down to her bones. She blinked rapidly, lifting her chin to meet Noor's gaze just as she let her paw fall down. If she'd kept up a moment longer, Fable knew she would have pressed her cheek heavily into it. She would have fallen back into her, but the moment was lost. A matter of bad timing. All of life's saddest stories began with that, she was coming to realize.

At Noor's instruction, she took another deep, settling breath. "You're... right," she agreed slowly, although the words "old" and "ritual" didn't really inspire confidence. They had traveled far, and Noor was already weak and hungry. The piglet she'd eaten too quickly so many hours ago wasn't enough to rebuild the muscle and fat she'd burned when Fable had found her. And why had she come all this way, anyway? "We should rest for now," she finally said after a long moment of silence. Fable flattened the earth she'd overturned at the base of the spire, making an impression in the fresh soil that would be comfortable enough for the two of them.

There was a chill in the air, and they were both tired. She wouldn't (couldn't) make her lie alone. "And we really need to talk." The words hung between them, as if suspended in the air by their weight. Fable settled into the ground and gestured for Noor to lie tucked into her side.


"Speech"