Otatso Wetlands I think I'm freaking out

She still lived upon the fringes of the creek, afraid to immerse herself completely lest they decide not to keep her. Although from their perspective, it was she that was strange, Magpie still thought of them as outsiders. And with that, she remembered every terrifying story and warnings of them told by the Corvidae — there were other stories, of course, and perhaps a greater portion of the stories told were good. But those were a lot more difficult to remember when Magpie found herself utterly and completely alone; there was no familiarity here.

When a particularly strong bout of homesickness washed over the juvenile, she found herself journeying beyond the confines of the pack's territory. Of course, there wasn't a precise and clear line; but Magpie found a profound sense of freedom upon leaving the creek. It was the first time since she had arrived, and she hadn't realized how suffocating it had felt to be so rigidly stuck to one place. It was likely she would get in trouble for this; but in the moment, Magpie didn't care. Perhaps she could make this place feel like a home, if only she were free to occasionally come and go as she pleased.

Before long, she had come to the place where Fox had found her. It wasn't intentional, but she supposed it made sense. Maybe they sent another scout to find my body, she thought with a whine. In her belly, though, Magpie felt an uncomfortable twinge that spoke the truth her heart didn't want to accept. The Corvidae were long gone. She would never see Raven, or Treepie, or her brother and sisters again. Even so, her heart and mind refused to listen; she trudged on, determined to find any sign of her family.

Instead, she found a stranger stuck in the mire. Magpie knew how to find the solid portions of the wetland, if only because she had done it before. The wetlands generally looked the same whether mire or solid earth. She couldn't leave the female here to be swallowed by the swamp — the fate her family believed had befallen her — and so carefully moved closer, before tilting her head curiously and offering the stuck female a child-like and curious whuff.