Jade Fern Grove departure to the west

She wasn't meant to leave the rendezvous site without an adult, though just like the whelping den, Haunt felt herself outgrowing the limited space. She wanted to range far and wide, freely roaming the territory and the wilderness beyond it. She wanted to hunt, which meant tracking prey wherever it might lead her.

As midday stretched languidly toward afternoon, she sat at the edge of the clearing, her tail twitching like an agitated cat's. With a small grunt, she made a decision and executed it. Glancing around to see that neither of her siblings were paying her any attention, she slipped off into the trees like a ghost.

Soon, she broke into a gallop, her white ears pasted against her skull as her feet made too much noise on the leaf litter. But nobody apprehended or stopped her, so she reached the far western edge of the bypass without incident. There, she paused to catch her breath and observe her surroundings, even as she studied the markings littered along the borderline.

Eventually, she began to creep away from her parents' domain and into the neighboring grove. Haunt's head bobbed as she observed the many splendid colors of ferns everywhere she looked. Tall, narrow trees grew closely together, giving the place a very cloistered feel. It was next to impossible to take a single step without brushing into something leafy, which put Haunt on edge. It was good practice, however.

In between all the fall foliage, there were dozens of scents. Haunt lusted after big game, though she was smart enough to know she couldn't hunt an ungulate solo. She was barely capable of managing small prey on her own yet. Hopefully she would get to practice some trapping today too.