Totoka River princess,

Having spent some time near Rusalka to do a checkup on Raleska, the ensuing few days following that have Stryx going further afield. She knows that the worst of the new mother's struggle is behind her, and that there are capable women to help her beyond what Stryx is capable as a visiting entity to their land; so she feels more at-ease with the concept of leaving. She picked her way east again, following the coast and occasionally dipping inland for sleep or sustenance.

Along the way she finds the trailing riverside. There are plants growing in dense clusters where the trees aren't as populous, and she investigates them. Chews at some of the grass shoots to settle her upset stomach, knowing it is hunger that plagues her and nothing more nefarious; then she plucks at a few bright blossoms, rolls them underpaw against the river stones, watches as the color bleeds from them, diluting against the pulse of the water.

She watches this trail of color, and her tired eyes unfocus. She can't stop thinking about Raleska; the gore that streaked the grotto, the poor children, the great toil of bringing them home. It was traumatic for the new mother but also for the medic, despite her training and experience. It would be a long while before Stryx had sorted it out in her own mind. That is when she spots something hazy in the distance — the crunch of summer-dried grass draws Stryx from her memories, and she thinks she can make out the hunch of shoulders further along the river's bank.

She goes in to physician mode almost immediately - sparing a quick glance at her surroundings in case this was something more than a one-off event - and hastily draws herself along to where the stranger has collapsed.