Swiftcurrent Creek I became an adult since the pictures of my childhood

set before this thread @Moony

Although the river was where she said she would not go, for worry of the cold that it may bring, it was there that she found herself anyway. Lingering along the water’s edge, following the length of it; although a fine layer of ice stretched across the surface, she still saw the current rushing below—and, in many places, the current was so strong that even the finest of icy layers dared not form. For how long she may follow it, she was yet to be certain—perhaps until she discovered what it was that she desired, perhaps longer.

she's become rather fond of rivers. they're useful navigational aids; as long as she can determine basic direction, they're essentially clear-cut trails that often cut through good hunting grounds and vibrant territories. or she thinks they'd be, anyways, when winter lets up and summer seeps back into the Teekon. 

others seem to have the same affinity for them as she does, however, for the oft not alone for long. such is the case today—a dark-mantled woman, just ahead, earns a chuff of greeting from her and a careful slowing of her steps.

Focused on the task at hand, the approaching steps of another went unheard. Only when she chuffed did the girl pause and turn, startled and curious to see who by. When her eyes landed on the frame of another, feminine in build with an appearance that made the dragoness wonder if she may have been carved from the earth itself. Finding herself to be staring, she offered an apologetic smile and said, “Hello.” From where the girl came, and where she intended to go, Kaori grew curious.

"hello," she answers easily enough, remaining fixed where she stands but offering an easy wave of her tail. she decides not to address the staring, though it makes her markedly uncomforatble—is there something stuck in her pelt? she's not asking that, though, and so moves on rather quickly to topics of her own curiousity.  "do you know what the river's called?" 

A greeting returned but an approach not made; Kaori kept her distance, for now, allowing a comfortable space between them. Her gaze slid slowly from the girl to the river as her question was presented, finding herself curious, too. “I am afraid not,” she admitted, assessing the way the water moved; the current was quick, moving easily through the path it carved into the ground. Looking back towards the girl, she added, “I only recently returned to these lands. I do not know more than a few of the territories here.” Besides, so much changed since she left, she wondered if the lands she once knew were still there, still the same and recognisable.