that's what you're doin'

Magpie had mustered the courage to explore the territories that lay just beyond the creek, though she did her best to ensure that she did not stray too far. She wasn't abandoning the pack; she simply craved the changes in scenery that had been a large part of her young life thus far. After meeting the stranger in that Otatso Wetlands, the little black-and-white youth altered her course and followed the creek southward. Like a shadow, she had passed through the heart of the territory with the occasional unspoken greeting towards her pack mates, most of which she knew by sight if not by name.

She was still nervous around them, but growing confident enough to move through their shared territory without fearing a harsh reprimand. Most of the pack seemed not to care about her presence at all, which suited her just fine. It was growing darker as she moved, which the juvenile attributed to the coming night, and she reveled in it. Magpie thrived in the darkness, feeling drained and exhausted in the heat of the day. It showed in her movements, for her steps grew faster and more playful.

When she saw the sparkle of water in the distance, her slow trot became a sprint, determined to close the gap between herself and the water. Water, it seemed, was an element she was drawn to. It was ever-changing, ever-moving. Perhaps if she touched the water, she would in some way visit all the places it had been, too. It was with this epiphany that she suddenly felt a spark of fondness for the creek that had become her home; perhaps now that she did not travel, those faraway places were coming to her.

As she reached the shore, a bright flash of light lit the sky; seeming to pierce the mountains that rose up around the lake. An instant later, a near-deafening rumble erupted from the sky — it seemed to shake her very bones. She spun around, green eyes taking in her surroundings, but they closed swiftly — almost ecstatically — as a rush of water began to pour from the heavens.