[IC rejoining!] Kicking my heels, alone

The sun broke between tiers of fluffy clouds, sending strands of lustrous yellow down from the East and onto Larch's tawny, ticked flank as her tongue rearranged a coarse patch of fur. She had stopped only briefly to fix herself into a presentable state. The night had been spent in what the keen-eyed woman suspected was once a badger sett, judging by the musky scent which lingered well into the early hours, putting her on edge and barring her from sleep.

The Stillsky female's last stay in Northstar Vale had been a short but sweet one; secretly, as she trod ever closer to the scents of pack and kin, she hoped that she mind find the kind female who had offered her a meal once before. The honey-coloured figure had thinned a little, though she maintained her attentive posture as she stood; her green-brown eyes were trained on a tree ahead of her which was in the process of erupting with birdsong, but they had dulled a little. Larch had had another rough time of it since straying from the Vale, and for a moment she screwed her eyes shut to build a wall of blackness between herself and the twittering birds.

Drawing in a ponderous breath, Larch tilted her head back, eyeing the sky sceptically before she let loose a low howl.