Her limbs ached— in a good, comforting way— but her night in the hot springs had been rejuvenating. She woke early, pressing northward, still unable to quench her desire for adventure. As she moved north, the air seemed to change; there was a scent on the breeze that she couldn't place, pleasant and disgusting all at once. Curiosity piqued, she moved towards it at a liberating run— but after several hours, she still hadn't found its source. Magpie slowed as a forest rose up before her, pausing a moment before darting into the line of trees.
Perhaps a dragon lived here, and that was the source of the smell. She wove through the trees, green eyes scanning the territory as she moved, her pace leisurely.
The dark witch had found, what she had been looking for few days ago, but she was in no haste to put her plan in action. The good thing about prophecies was that they didn't give you set deadlines. You could not change the series of events that were to happen, but you could let them unfold at your own, most desired pace. Therefore rather than plunging head-first, she left the coastal area and went to explore the lands that lied South to them.
It had been a long time, since Hedda had had a proper hut and storage place for the tools she had to use to perform the spells. Even though she was not planning on staying here for too long, it was nice and comforting in a way, walking through the forest, pretending that you were looking for a suitable place to stay and stopping now and them to examine random spots that had sparked her interest up close.
At one such place she spotted a viper - curled up on an old tree trunk - seeking warmth from the sun. Curious - she drew closer and let her gaze linger on the small, but deadly creature. It didn't seem to notice the wolf's presence, staring with it's unblinking eyes in the distance. Then the sound of rustling grass and breaking twigs under the feet of another, made Hedda lift her head and divert her attention to the quickly approaching wolf, who held almost the same coat color as the old witch did.