Hushed Willows Gestält

@Flora + open to others

Warbone had been zigzagging across the northern sphere of the Sunspires; contemplating, pacing, and searching tirelessly for something. The idea would strike him soon— he could feel it— so he didn't let himself rest for even a moment, lest his miss it. And when he did close his eyes, they were mere blinks in comparison to the amount of time he spent with them peeled wide open.

He searched, but it was some time before he found.

When he did, he was traveling the line where the willows stopped growing and the ground grew steeper, gradually turning into the mountainous territory above. It was dark, and the wolf was exhausted. His pace deliberately heavy. The mouth of a cave yawned before him, and as he drew nearer he saw that about twenty feet separated that opening from another. Blinking tiredly, perhaps imagining that he was seeing double, the wolf ventured into the blackness.

Immediately a herd of goat exploded away as the tired hunter made way. The stampede shocked him into wakefulness, and he watched them all flee with the belated realization that he was hungry. But they all had fled into the night, and he was left to search the goat's roost on an empty stomach.

There were indeed two mouths to the cavern, and it was lightless except for two holes in the ceiling that each opened directly (and not coincidentally) over a pond, and in the east corner was a smaller, steeper opening that led outside. The main part of the cave was deep and wide, so well adjusted to the weather over time that even if the ponds filled up to a certain level, they would simply overflow and run like rivers straight down to the willows. Warbone drank from one of them— fresh rainwater— and sated his thirst. He thought these might stagnate in the drier months, but under the sun at high noon every day, they also risked a high chance of drying up completely. Which would be helpful.

He explored for a while, finding several smaller alcoves to the cave, but he was not interested in them. He moved to the very middle of the cavernous den, and settled down to sleep.

A cool dawn met him some hours later, and Warbone felt quite refreshed as he yawned and stretched into wakefulness. Giving his body a shake, he ventured out into the misty morning, drifting quietly through the swaying willows and tracking the herd that had flown before him the previous night.