Wild Berry Meadow Feels like we only go backwards

For Juria

A full day of traveling South had brought the nomad across multiple fields and meadows, broken up only intermittently by forest. She couldn't grasp just how much green there was in these lands. Green mean water and water meant life. Much of her family's traditions and culture centered on the worship of such a scarce resource. Ahhotep could only wonder why her ancestors had chosen Sikarra as their final resting place instead of venturing out to see what other riches the great world had to offer.

The sun sunk low beneath the horizon, with only a few streaks of light bouncing from the clouds. Ahhotep contemplated traveling under the coolenss of night, but her paws were weary. The sweet small of ripening berries lured her towards patches of bramble. Would this be a suitible place for rest?

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in all her travels, juria had never seen so many trees all in one place. or she liked to think so. her home had been a series of meadows - and yeah, there had been some trees - but it seemed so different here. every few hours she'd encounter a new forest; or just the continuation of the old forest she had just weathered. there weren't any flatlands, any canyons, and big dry and dusty places for her to run free - like home.

juria found herself mourning the losses she'd faced more and more each day. the loss of her mother was tantamount, it had been the catalyst for her departure. but the loss of her home had always seemed like an easy thing; she'd find another! she'd find a bigger and better plateau to call her own one day! maybe not as a leader -- but one day, she'd fit back in to society. except that, so far, she didn't. there were no great plains like the elders fortold, no endless wind, no bison herd to rival all bison herds.

so she pined, and she walked, and she pined some more. her path held a northern bearing for a while but then, as her spirits sagged, so did her route. she stopped just as the sun was lowering to bed for the night; around her were trees, again, and the strange scent of fruit. juria dragged herself along until the scent was strong and full, and was surprised to find small berries growing haphazardly in the gray. were they edible? she was just thinking about testing them out when something crackled - a bramble maybe, or some twigs - and she caught sight of a figure lurking in the dark beyond her. 

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