Leto is stumbling.

She tries to keep up with Heretic, forcing a smile to her face to encourage him, but he isn’t fooled by her optimism. He can see it in the stitch of her brow, the shaking of her shoulders that she thinks he can’t see. They need food, water, rest. It makes him uneasy that he might have to leave her to hunt but she is too weak to come with him, too depleted to manage stealth with her trembling legs. ”We can camp here for the night,” he says, gruff and resolute, leaving no room for her to argue.

She nods and drops to the ground, trying not to show her relief too blatantly. The last thing she would want is for her brother to feel guilty for pushing her to go further, especially when she knew the risks of lingering in the open for too long. ”I’ve smelled others on the wind for a while,” she comments, her icy eyes shifting to her brother, the unspoken question hanging in the air between them. Would they seek out the others?

Heretic responds with a curt nod, edging closer as he sniffs at the ground to pick up a scent that he’d noticed along the trail they’d come down. ”I need to find us food. I want you to stay here…” He hesitates, worry shadowing his crimson eyes as he looks her over again, noting the hint of ribs peeking through her coat. He doesn’t want to leave her but he doesn’t have a choice; without food, she won’t be able to recover regardless of how much rest he allows her. ”If anyone comes near you, I want you to scream. I will be close.”

She’s nearly asleep already, but she gives him a nod of encouragement to send him on his way. Though her eyes are closed, she can feel him hesitating beside her for a moment before retreating slowly, the padding of his paws drifting further away as the heavy blanket of sleep covers her completely.

She doesn’t know how much time has passed when she wakes, but the world is fully blanketed in darkness with a spattering of stars blinking down at her from above. Heretic is still gone, probably trying to hunt enough for the both of them to fill up on. Slowly, she clambers to her feet, giving herself a good shake to get her blood flowing and clear the drowsiness from her mind. Her eyes sweep the surrounding trees and she thinks she ought find one to curl up against until Heretic returns when the sound of approaching footsteps catches her attention.

They don’t sound like her brother’s - his gait was so familiar to her, she could pick it out with her eyes closed - and for the first time, she is uneasy with the lack of Heretic’s overbearing presence. I should yell, she thinks, knowing that her brother would never go too far while she slept alone.

She decides against it, steeling herself to meet the intruder. To be truthful, she’s tired of being afraid that every sound in the dark is her father or his wolves come to kill her. If they wanted to rid the world of her so badly, let them come.

”Who’s there,” she whispers into the night, quiet so that Heretic won’t know just yet that she disobeyed his request. She’d deal with him later.