Arrow Lake My mind is torn

Asterr had needed no reassurance of her birthplace's condition, for she knew the land and those that inhabited it to be strong. Never would a Draconid succumb to anything vile enough to harm the tribe as a whole, for they were each far wiser than that. Yet, she did not speak out against her cousin, believing she'd spoken only with the best of intentions in mind. Rather, she'd moved past the topic, letting it slide by for the time being as if it'd never been brought up. To delve into the recent past would do her no good, as it was often that she longed for her family's presence, and thinking back to them would only cause the feeling to flare up once more. Her focus had to be reserved for something else, for protecting and guiding her current tribe through the tough times that they were faced with. It would only create trouble if her focus was to shift elsewhere, and she cared too much for her followers to abandon them in such a way.

When the state of the land surrounding them was brought up as the next topic of discussion, the yearling felt her lips fall into a slight frown. "This land does not belong to me," she began. "Though mine hardly looks any better." Still did the sun shine down through the crevices in the ceiling of her lair, and still did the water flow throughout it, but the greenery had all be stolen away. "Numerous swarms of locusts had suddenly appeared naught more than a few weeks ago. They ate every ounce of flora that they had been able to find, driving out the herds and leaving us all in a state of disarray." It had been a terrible event, and one that she would not soon forget. Anger seemed to bubble up beneath her breast whenever she thought back to the attack, forcing a feeling she was rather unfamiliar with to course through her veins. Never had she enjoyed it, and never would she, either. The sooner that she could put it all behind her, the better, and yet her mind was reluctant to move past the issue. Such thoughts drifted towards her tongue, too, having prompted her to then say: "These times are not ideal for any of us, dear cousin."