Blacktail Deer Plateau Bufferzone

Burke's answer was more introspective than Osprey had given him credit for. She tilted her head to the side, mulling over the metaphor of a rabbit hiding inside a den to protect itself from the world that was preying on it. If she was such a rabbit now - was the world really preying on her? She had been accused of running from her problems, therefore she had stayed, building walls around her, shutting everyone out. Contrary to, what she had believed they would do, they did not attack her. They didn't approve, but the showed concern, they cared. So, why did it felt so very wrong to go with the flow, to accept their help? To let them be part of this, share the burden and get out of this mess somehow? Give in and find a solution together?

Osprey was alone with her mind - just as she had wished. No one bothered - it felt relieving and hurt very much at the same time. But somehow she couldn't push her pride out of the way and crawl on her knees to her friends, begging for forgiveness. It was probably too late for that anyway - so many conversations that had been handled wrong, so many missed opportunities. "What made you leave your pack?" she asked, drawing the conclusion that he had left a place behind once because he had mentioned being a nomad for a while. If they were discussing private matters, then she decided to take this path further. It wasn't like she had many people to talk with without feeling either guilty or depressed lately.