King Elk Forest past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind

For a day she'd lingered beside the sea, reveled in the brine and the surf, turned over her mangled thoughts and gathered her courage. And then she had turned back, headed south and left behind the coast. It had been a tense, uncomfortable journey, avoiding all others.  a man will take whatever he wishes. She had not known it, she had been naive, stupid, but now she knew. She had been lodged deep inside the heart of Morningside, felt their protection for so long that stepping beyond their borders felt like plummeting into the depths of the sea, where uncertainty lived and dark things beckoned. 

But she had made it, and at the border she faltered, suddenly unsure if she would be welcomed. She had come all the way here despite his threats, the fear in her heart, and now doubts plagued her. She darted across the border quite suddenly, feeling quickly a kind of relief that came with the familiarity of the wood and the protection that a line on the ground offered her. She stepped deeper into the territory, ears slicked back against her head, attempting once, twice, to muster up the courage required to howl her presence. 

She did it quickly, a short, hoarse howl that rent the stillness of the overcast morning, and quickly tapered off to more silence. She sat then, pulling the harsh angles of her body close and curling in on herself in the slightest, gaze darting at every flicker of movement, fear battling with the relief of being home.