@Ibis it broke my brain that this territory is in the taiga @_x
she paused at the forest's edge, eyes upon the shattered mountain in the distance. she had lived there once, briefly, the memory of it feeling as if it did not belong to her - a fever dream, its edges curling in the heat just before it caught alight by flame and swiftly burned away to ash. cooling lava fell like tears down the sleeping dragon's body, burning bright toward the caldera and darkening to black as the flow had moved further from its mouth.
the taste of smoke and sulphur and ash lingered in the air, though emaleth surmised the dragon had erupted in its rage before she had returned to the wilds.
fire. she had always harbored for it an appropriate respect and rational caution - it was destructive, to be sure, but she had learned of its necessity in the universe. to purge and fertilize and make way for new life. but this - her fear took on a new edge. something more like sheer terror of the element.
she swallowed thickly, then tore her gaze away from the terrible view and stepped beneath the forest's canopy.
December 11, 2019, 10:15 PM
She had needed a break from it all; little siestas didn't appear to cut it anymore, and while her outbound trips from the territory sprouted a sense of guilt within her, at the moment Ibis' selfish need for "private time" won out over all other sensation. Telling herself she wouldn't be away long, she headed out from the Emberwood and roamed without a destination in mind.
It felt good to have the wind in her fur again. The snow blanketed everything but it wasn't falling in great waves right now, having warmed up prior to her departure, and the softest crunch of ice beneath her dainty steps was all that sounded around her as she crept along — and then as she ran, sprightly, doe-like with each leap.
Things had changed so much — and so fast. Autumn and its rage had swept through the valley and now, in the stillness of winter, Ibis thought she could still smell the smouldering ash; her mind wandered to thoughts of her family and she forced herself to stop pining for them, because she had matured in her knowledge of the world and she knew wishes couldn't be so easily granted. She had other things to think about — and to escape.
As Ibis came upon yet another forest she took a deep breath of the crisp air, expecting the pine scent that flooded her sinuses, less so that wolf scent lingering just beneath. It wasn't familiar. She had half a mind to turn around and avoid the potential meeting but in her heart she knew that wasn't normal for her; she was a social creature, and the curiosity of the forest drew her deeper.
It felt good to have the wind in her fur again. The snow blanketed everything but it wasn't falling in great waves right now, having warmed up prior to her departure, and the softest crunch of ice beneath her dainty steps was all that sounded around her as she crept along — and then as she ran, sprightly, doe-like with each leap.
Things had changed so much — and so fast. Autumn and its rage had swept through the valley and now, in the stillness of winter, Ibis thought she could still smell the smouldering ash; her mind wandered to thoughts of her family and she forced herself to stop pining for them, because she had matured in her knowledge of the world and she knew wishes couldn't be so easily granted. She had other things to think about — and to escape.
As Ibis came upon yet another forest she took a deep breath of the crisp air, expecting the pine scent that flooded her sinuses, less so that wolf scent lingering just beneath. It wasn't familiar. She had half a mind to turn around and avoid the potential meeting but in her heart she knew that wasn't normal for her; she was a social creature, and the curiosity of the forest drew her deeper.
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