we know very well who we are

Lena

and sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm

Sera had pinpointed on a cost to the companion bond quickly, readily. She watched as the little lizard had clearly been tired from the exertions, and they must’ve seemed endless and eternal, from cracking, bursting through his egg, to learning the aspects of walking, and maneuvering under his own power. It would get easier, with time, with stamina, with expertise, but he needed opportunities to rest too – clear that he was smart and wise enough to recognize it. The Caretaker’s smile softened a degree, still glancing at the partners, at the ones linked by spirits and connections, newfound and not yet fully grasped or explored. “Right.” Levi would never be as large as his counterparts, as those who grew to monstrous heights, who could rise over swells of smoke and ash. “But he’ll be yours, and you’ll be his.” Which was more than they’d ever bargain with along the wild, liberated, and free ones. “You’ll learn to trust and protect one another.” Instinct, inherent, and she could only imagine what other things, munitions, and feelings prospered through the bond.

And fortune? And luck? Sera hadn’t thought of it. Her eyes went to the floor, to the rug, the same grin still there. “Best believe in it now then.”

that could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm