Inside the tent, silence slowly settled again, almost painfully. The scent of blood and smoke still lingered among the trees, but within, everything had grown quiet. Seraphine gradually calmed in my arms. Her sobbing, which had torn out of her with wild force, faded bit by bit, like a storm that slowly drifts away, leaving behind only the soft patter of rain. The trembling of her shoulders subsided, her chest moved more evenly, and at last, her tears ceased.
I felt her body grow heavier in my arms. Her heartbeat was still rapid, restless, but gradually began to settle into a calmer rhythm. Slowly, carefully, I adjusted her so she could lie more comfortably, and when I sensed she had fully surrendered to sleep, I laid her down on the blanket beneath us.
It was a small motion, yet every ne
