Broken Antler Fen My mind is going a mile an hour!

for @Ukulele :)

It was strange to be here, still. Like wandering through a dream where you knew everything, everywhere, but something was undoubtedly missing. Several realizations had come down upon her at once—the deaths of her mother and Wraen, her sister's still-missing status, her father's reappearance (and subsequent disappearance). . .and the children.

She wanted to be there for them. But it would take time. They were, naturally, wary.

Lilitu wandered the fen, enjoying the cooling air of fall as she padded at twilight through the marshland. She nimbly hopped a fallen tree, surprising a frog that was attempting to take refuge in a nook. It croaked irritably at her, sailing away with a splash.

Childlike, she chased after it for a few hops, soaking herself in the process. But it was long gone, wiggled into some tight crevice, and she stood, panting, dripping, shaking her head.

She needed to contribute. She didn't know how.

If early springs and summers had been times of staying put in one area to rest and fatten up, then with the first drop in temperatures and yellowing leaves, it was clear that the time of becoming a true nomad again had come. Lele's small family pack had moved with the herds - sometimes collaborating with other packs in bringing down the big game, sometimes having enough skill and strength to do it on their own. And inbetween there would be days, sometimes weeks with plenty of miles for them to walk and hardly any food on sight. 

The instinct to be on the move was hard to shush, even now. Her heart was giddy and mind restless. She observed the antlered inhabitants of the fen and her soul yearned to follow. Except this year there was no one else to accompany her on this journey and, though she did not fear loneliness, she did fear playing with fate and pushing it too far. The sound of soft footfalls in the vicinity caught her attention and she withdrew from her quiet contemplation to look over her shoulder and see, who was coming.

Focused as she was on the hunt, she didn't notice the nearby wolf. Once she did, Lilitu looked a little sheepish, still sodden pelt clinging awkwardly to her large, lithe frame.

But she managed a smile, and managed to keep it even through shock at the young woman's appearance. What had happened? Something awful, clearly. Lilitu tried not to let her eyes linger too long on the wounds upon the other's visage, instead giving her tail a wag in greeting.

Hello, she said, and her voice was, thankfully, steady and chipper. We haven't met. I'm Lilitu—I just returned from a few moons of travel.

The she-wolf - Lilitu - turned out to be very young and suddenly reminded Lele very much of Harps. It was a matter of moments, during which her heart was overflowing with emotions - mainly those of melancholy and longing. Then she let it pass. Her sister and best friend had long since ceased to be in the picture and just like all other important people in her life, she had let her go. There had been a time and place for mourning the future dream-castles that she had built around the idea of having her sibling with her forever. Now it was just a vivid memory that floated up from the depths of her mind occasionally, but for the most part the rational reasoning kept it anchored at the bottom. Imagined did not have place in the fabric of reality. 

She smiled at her welcomingly, unaware that her scarred face had made the girl a little uncomfortable. Maybe even now. "I am Lele - I joined recently," an awkward pause followed after this introduction, her eyes darted side to side, while the smile plastered on her face lost some of its sincerity. Here it was again - her being clueless on how to carry on a conversation. She hoped that, perhaps, Lilitu would have the means and courage to save her from the silence between them becoming too long.

Lele, she said sweetly, and smiled. I'm Lilitu. That sounds similar to your name. Scars were forgotten as she took in the other wolf, trying to find any familiarity there. Family? Perhaps distantly, but she couldn't find anything that reminded her of Ibis or Wraen or anyone else.

She cast her eyes down at the muck, cocking her head. I've been hunting frogs, she noted. Would you like to join me?

A rough business, hunting frogs—especially in the cooling weather of autumn. But Lele might be up to the task, and she would be happy for a friend. She looked at the young woman, eyes appraising.

"Are they still around?" Lele moved forward to inspect the plot that Lilitu had been exploring before her arrival, glad that there was something practical to do instead of having a small talk. She did not see any that would catch her eye, then went around to have a sniff at another place and there she was in luck. A small frog bounced up from the leaves. She watched it briefly with an amused glance, but did not pursue it. 

"Maybe we can search in another place? I would bet that they must be flocking in the swampy areas of this place," she suggested.