Meadowlark Prairie auspicious

they'd left the most challenging part of the climb behind, and moonshine's strength was flagging. still, each new scent and sight and sound warranted investigation. a marmot poked its head above the grasses below, and despite the distance, moonshine dropped any sense of caution like a hot potato and bolted after it. it vanished in an instant, but the long grass hides more than marmots. her left shoulder dropped as the ground disappeared, and a moment later she was thrown head over heels, landing with a yelp on her side. 

adrenaline pumping, not sure exactly what had just happened but feeling a hot jolt of pain in her forepaw, she held absolutely still and waited for @Moonshadow to catch up, heart beating rapidly.

She was growing tired and she could bet So was her pup. She was an adventurous soul wearing anxiety as a mask. When’s she caught up with her something was amiss and she heard her small child whimper and she ran to her side. “What hurts?” She would soon be able help her once she said where it hurt.

Moonshadow arrives, and she's unfrozen. righting herself slight, then carefully moving to a sitting position, she extends the forepaw that throbs with pain. she's never felt hurt like this before, and more a moment is rendered mute. but the blood dripping from her broken dew claw urges an "ew." from her lips. the toe pad is intact, but the claw is missing; leaving only a bloodied hole that seeks blood. she curls the limb towards her chest instinctively, glancing at her mother in mild alarm.

She remained calm and gave her pup a small nudge. “I saw herbs back that way, stay calm and I’ll be right back.” She ran to where she had seen the marigolds and grabbed a few. 

She returned to her pup and began treating the pups wound. “This will help keep it from becoming infected.”

her mother vanishes, leaving her alone in the strange meadow. she swallows, worried that the ground underneath her might give away again. her paw, however, fascinates her - it hurts more than she thought possible, and yet it's manageable. 

it's bleeding heavily, now, and she tries to wrap her mouth around it to stem the bleeding as her gaze scans the grass, but it doesn't do much good. her mother, thankfully, appears after a moment, and moonshine profers the bloody, damp paw. the pressure seems to have done something, for it's oozing rather than gushing, now, and she allows her mother to do what she will with the wound. "where'd the ground go?" she asks, after a moment, having yet to encounter gopher holes.

She finished dressing her daughters wound and again her curious pup asks another question. “Well, some animals live under ground like rabbits, gophers and sometimes foxes in things called burrows.” After completely done she looks to moonshine. “I think our adventure should come to an end.  It’s not wise to go further with your injury love.”

"oh," she says, feeling rather stupid. she knows what burrows are, but she's always been able to spot them in the woods. she supposes a hidden burrow in the grasses is much more likely than the ground crumbling beneath her step. 

her mother informs her that their adventure should come to and end, and moonshine grinds a paw against the dirt, shifting her weight. curling her limb sans one claw tightly towards her chest, she rises, feeling the beginnings of a bruise along side. "just a little while longer?" she asks, peering over the meadow. a small group of sparrows dart between the tallest grasses, and she can't contemplate going back to the darkness of the wood, not now.

She gave a soft sigh not being able to spoil her daughters fun because it had been nice seeing her come out of her shell for a bit. “I suppose we can. What else do you want to know?” She figured she still has questions.

she regrets her decision only slightly, despite hobbling on three legs towards teh center of the meadow, moonshadow on her tail. her mother offers the opportunity for more knowledge, and so after a moment of thought, she asks, "why aren't there trees here? does something stop them growing?" she can't see any difference in the ground, save that it's covered in grass and very few of the plants she knows as familiar from the forest floor.

She watches her child struggle to walk and wants to just pick her up and take her home but doesn’t. “Trees don’t grow everywhere and I know not the reason. “ Maybe ground conditions but she wasn’t entirely sure .

moonshadow offers an answer that isn't really an answer at all, but moonshine accepts it. she's beginning to realize that moonshadow doesn't hold the boundless secrets of the universe - but maybe someone else does. maybe she'll just have to figure them out herself. 

the pair meander their way around the meadow, moonshine pausing here or there to nose at a scent trail, a weird plant, the remains of some creature. eventually, exhaustion and the throbbing hurt become too much to bear, and they turn back home. moonshine has had her first real taste of the world outside blackfeather, and she's hooked.