the girl's breath clouds faintly in front of her, drawn shallow from the cold and from what she sees below. the clash of antlers seems to echo inside her skull with the same rhythm as thunder. she shakes her head, fur brushing iglux̂’s shoulder.
she watches as the losing bull falters again, legs splaying beneath him, and the only thought that crosses her mind is get up. he was determined, certainly. after a moment, she speaks again:
to… prove strong?she suggests softly, gaze fixed on the bleeding bull. a flicker of something—recognition, maybe—passes through her expression. the way the stag lifts himself again, staggering but unbroken, sparks a kind of ache in her chest.
so the herd follows him?
she watches as the losing bull falters again, legs splaying beneath him, and the only thought that crosses her mind is get up. he was determined, certainly. after a moment, she speaks again:
does it hurt them much?it’s a child’s question, she knows, and she asks anyway.
![[Image: 92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/92942039_gLH7UWGZz8j0rMA.png)