Whitebark Stream I put off saying I love you, oh, oh

Day five of heat—Kaori is receptive.

Each day brought with it something new: a new sight to behold, a new smell to inhale, a new object to be touched. Last year, with the Draconid Tribe, she was surrounded by family; there were a few that lacked both blood relations and a marriage to a family member but, of those few, she’d taken an interest in none. It was easier to focus her attention on her mother, to tending to her needs and preparing for the eventual birth of her younger siblings, rather than on herself. But these lands lacked those same familial connections—here, there was no one for her to devote her time to other than herself, and that opened the door to a world of possibilities.

Possibilities that led her to the stream, strolling along the edge.