Lavayla wasn't sure how long they ran before Nima finally slowed and came to a stop. All she knew was that it had been a long while. The cold had crept in gradually, the wind drilling into her bones until her fingers felt stiff and her face numb.
When they stopped, the sudden stillness left her disoriented. The world felt wrong without motion, her ears still ringing with imagined wind. It was the baby's thin whine, soft but insistent, that pulled her back.
She lifted her head and realized Nima had fully stopped.
Lavayla slid down from Nima's back, her feet touching the ground unsteadily. Nima shifted back to her human form, her skirt and top settling around her as if she never turned. For a moment, Lavayla just stood there, grounding herself.
Then she checked the baby.
