"Yes, dear," Orchiddrop responded softly, letting him caress her despite how it made her skin crawl. She missed Crow's genuine tenderness, much preferring it to this facade. However, she said nothing.

They returned to camp after the bleeding had fully ceased, after the wounds Goldenshadow had left on her skin turned invisible under the long fur. Orchiddrop lapsed into an even quieter, more obedient version of herself. She slept in the nursery, napped for hours out in the sun, went for mostly silent walks with her mate, and learned quickly not to talk back. It happened once or twice more, instinctively, but the swift and sharp blows that Goldenshadow dealt her erased the last of her willpower, and she became the ideal mate for him.

Of course, others noticed and worried- Ratstar and Rosethorn particularly. But Orchiddrop kept to herself, slipping farther into her own mind as her pregnancy progressed. Soon her stomach was too large to even consider fighting back, though she no longer had the strength to. Her dreams were her only escape- they were filled with memories of Crow, of happier times with her sister. It was why she slept so much, her body filled with fatigue when she roused herself. It had been nearly two moons since the night with Crow, and not much longer until she saw him again- though she was not aware of this.

(fin)