LANDON
I feel it before I see it.
The shift in Cheyenne does not announce itself through anger or distance, and it does not flare through the bond like pain, which would at least give me something clear to respond to. It is subtler than that, more disciplined, and that is what unsettles me.
She is moving differently.
Less reactive. More controlled. The emotional edges that used to spark through the bond when something irritated or unsettled her are smoother now, as if she is wrapping every thought in gauze before letting it surface. I feel the routine layered over everything, the steady repetition of tasks and measured breaths, and I recognize the pattern with a familiarity that makes my stomach tighten.
It is the quiet before a warrior collapses.
I have seen it on battlefields befor
