[ Ironeye staggered slightly at the sudden pain, so much like the sensation of being run through that for a moment, he thought he must have surely let his guard down and been caught from behind. But no, there was no cold steel, nor spreading bloom of blood.

In the end, he did not cry out, but stood in place, hands gripped tightly at the rail to steady himself. And then it was gone. ]

...You saved their lives. A single mother and her infant, in the aftermath of a war. Few would have opened their doors with their own families hanging in the balance.

[ It had been between them, that jagged tear, in the connection that had become a constant and quiet companion. But what about the story of the mother and child would cause anguish? Hadn't they had a happy outcome? ]