Iktome Plains And cut and peeled a hazel wand

She was loathe to leave Donnelaith now that she had returned home, but while the forest was herb-filled, it did not contain every ingredient she might need. It would take some time, some exploration to build her stores. And so early this morning, she had slipped away unseen— it was not that any would try to stop her, nor could they, but Emaleth was a withdrawn creature and had no desire to explain her activities. I will return, she promised Deirdre, do not fret. And she had gone, weaving west along the shoreline.

Even in her time away, the dark child had not strayed far from the coast; to lose sight or scent of it would be the same as losing a limb. It was part of her, the ocean, as much as the sequoias that stood guard over her home. Even now, she feared venturing too far inland. It seemed a different world to the child.

---

Emaleth began her return, now, with the skeletal joint of some long-dead creature clasped in her jaws. Her gait was an elegant trot, for she had already been gone longer than she had intended. Her mission had been largely fruitless, for the western coastline contained little that was different from what the ocean carried to the shores of Donnelaith. She would need to overcome her nervousness of landlocked territories, but it would not be today.

Her trot slowed when the stranger was sighted, and she finally halted when she was some meters behind. She did not see the bear that would block her from making her way home, but the lone wolf was cause for enough concern. Emaleth was independent, but she was young and vulnerable— she knew this, though it was hardly something the Mayfair would ever deign to admit.

She dropped the bone from her jaws, the sound a soft thump as it hit the ground, and she chuffed warily to announce her presence and intention for peace.