Nimbus Summit I wish that I could just be brave.

for @Niamh!

Zephrine, a budding tracker, ducked around the trees that enshrined the newly formed Kingslend borders as she made her way beyond the outskirts. She made frequent stops to manage her bearings, scratching a particularly distinguishable tree, rolling in a bit of broom, and making sure to keep track of her route so she could make it back home after her adventure.

It was easy enough to spot the small depressions in the mud where deer had tread. She'd spied a graze-line further along and carefully followed it, blending in moderately well among a cluster of hawthorn trees. The forest floor was intermittently piled with ruddy leaves, some having turned a brilliant ochre.

The forest smelled more alive here in the middle of autumn than any other time, she thought, and had it been within her power Zephrine would have frozen the world at this point. As much as she enjoyed the easy months of spring and summer, watching the trees shed their skins would always be her favorite.

She was, admittedly, quite jealous of their ability to do so.

The trees thinned a little, and Zephrine soon found herself upon a northerly leaning hill. From there she could see the ground taper east to a blunt lake, or what she'd call a lake. It was a sweep of blue-green hidden among more forest and she could almost make out the glassy surface as she squinted. Maybe the herd had gone that way.

The scents in the wind told another story, so she made a snap judgement and chose to continue north, finding the air cool and damp as she re-entered a fringe of trees. The trail would take her towards the heel of a small mountain with no cloven prints in sight, but by this point Zephrine was more invested in exploration.