Dawnlark Plains Rain or Shine (III)

Nanook knew she shouldn't have run so far, but every time conviction tugged, the polar child refused to turn back. After all, what would the Maplewood do? There were no punishments left to give. Mother had forced father and Xan to leave, and Nanook had undertaken to push Desna away before someone else could. That only left Sesi, but Nanook had never been close to her peculiar little sister. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing in the end. Her stomach still twisted when she thought of Desna's retreating form, her last look of pain engraved like a fevered dream. The weighty shadow still clung to Nanook and made her paws heavy, but her sister would be okay. She always was.

But Nanook was not, and after setting out that morning in secret, she found herself in a forest due west of the Maplewood. In theory she knew she should have told her mother where she would be going, but Nanook wasn't dumb. If she'd done that, mama would have sent someone else along with her, and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Besides, she could handle herself. She wasn't a baby anymore, and her recent growth spurt paired with her stubborn will gave her a false sense of confidence she could do this alone.

She skirted around the cusp of the woodland, her only company the ever-present burn at the pit of her ribs. It was only as the northern sky emerged from behind the pines that the words and worries within faltered, as if fleeing at the very sight of the battle-line of rain and cloud. Yet while her thoughts ran far from her, her ears pushed forth without effort, and soon her whole body followed. The tall grass brushed against her belly, hunkered down in a mix of wonder and apprehension. It was then she noticed another not far from her, but Nanook remained too fixed on figuring out the formation to give her company a second look.