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She was silent as Dawali considered her response; it was certainly unexpected for the younger chief, as she doubted he had expected such a reply. Whatever he had been expecting, this was perhaps the worst news a mother could deliver: the death of a loved one, the death of a daughter, and the implications it had. Especially the implications: the murderous ‘father’ who had been unaware of his own daughter’s existence until it was too late. She had kept this a secret from everyone but Dawali, and now, somehow, Noir was dead. Whether it was because of this or in spite of it, Tayui would never know.
She looked away, letting her gaze settle on a grove of pine trees. She couldn’t look at him anymore. She could not see his distress or his concern, and especially not the sympathy in his eyes. She flicked her ears forward when he spoke, but did not look away.
Quietly, she responded: “about a month ago. Aurèle told me.” She added the second part as a last-minute thought, but quickly regretted it. That would only raise more questions as to why she had not spoken to her sister in a month when Tayui needed her the most.