It was Sapphire who first noticed the trembling in Hapselli's limbs when she walked or flew. She had come to the clan fully grown, and had always attributed her shakes to the cold, or simple exhaustion, but Sapphire disagreed. Hapselli's never sure whether or not she's glad of that. Arfur, the clan's resident healer, told her that there was a problem with her limbs. The muscles, he told her, were permanently weakened, which accounted for her inability to do anything too strenuous. It might also affect her coordination. Had she had any problems with that? She had, but she didn't say it. She didn't want to. Some days are better than others. Sometimes she can go out with the foragers and gather in plants and insects for the clan, enjoy the sunshine and the casual chatter of her clanmates. Other days she can barely move for the stiffness in her legs. On those days, when she finds herself missing the sun, Heyes often visits her. She hadn't understood him, at first. He was often teasing her, often making jokes and trying to make her smile. He brought her flowers and sweet-smelling herbs and spices, mixed them together in a pot for her. "A little bit of the world beyond." She didn't always like him - he was sly and twisted his words sometimes. She'd seen him do it to her clanmates. But there was something there that made her... not hate him. Probably. And if he wanted to bring her more flowers, well. She couldn't exactly move to stop him, now could she?













