King Elk Forest Strike the match, play it loud

@Rye

She had been searching the forest and its surrounding areas since she arrived back here two days ago. Their scents had vanished. Not even the slightest hint of her family remained, and she resolved herself to the fact that they must have all gone in her absence. 

She wasn't sure what she should do now. She supposed she could go back and search out the little family that had helped her, but she was having trouble leaving. She had worked so hard to find her way back here, and if she left, it would feel like it was all for nothing. So she had wandered the forest she knew so well, hunted (rather poorly), and studied the plants, all the while trying to figure out what to do next.

She had spent most of the morning studying the forest. At the base of a tall fir grew the prettiest flowers she had ever seen. She made her way over on soft, quiet footsteps, eager to study the plant up close. In her excitement, she missed the spiny branch of a different plant that stretched across the path in front of her. A sharp pain made her freeze and pull back her front paw. When she turned her paw over to inspect, she noticed that blood welled from a tiny puncture, stark red against the coal black of her paw pad. She licked the area, hoping to soothe the ache, and cursed herself for not paying better attention.