Wild Berry Meadow opened up like a marionette, danced a whimsical pride

she was gone.

he'd went to search for her sometime after his encounter with tzila, eager to show her the den he'd prepared. but she wasn't there. a faint trail led to the edge of the island, but any further scent had been washed away by the ocean's waves. so he swam, and swam, and swam until eventually reaching land once more, a desperate howl calling for the expecting mother to return home.

no response. he refused to wait, mind filled with worry and concern for what could happen to her and her children. reckless she was, but so was he. he shouldn't have left her. he shook his head, the thumping of his heart loud enough to echo in his ears. he needed to find her. and so her ran, cries filling the air as he went about his search, pleading for ying to come back home.

night turned to day, and with it came exhaustion. she was nowhere to be found, but that did little to sway him from his search. he continued to press onward until eventually the sight of a figure in the distance caught his attention. sleep deprived and on the verge of collapsing, it was only until close that he realized this stranger was not who he was looking for. too near to walk away now, he let out a friendly chuff, curious if perhaps she'd seen any sight of his elusive friend.