Blacktail Deer Plateau This dream of going upstream.

With her daughter safely tucked away upon the plateau, and having spent weeks keeping a hawkish watch for danger, Ibis felt confident enough to separate from the girl for an hour or so; they needed something to eat and it was Ibis' job to make that happen. She still worried about her daughter - rather, daughters, and hoped all was well with their little family.

The plateau seemed so quiet. It was as if the empty wilderness they had wormed through had somehow followed them back home, blanketing the area with a complicated silence. Ibis found herself listening more to the wind in the trees like she used to listen to the willows; pining for the busy days spent hiking the Emberwood or spreading messages from pack to pack; but she knew she did not miss the Empire.

The sentiment krept upon her as she tread across the winding paths of the plateau, decorated as they were by moss and leaves. Vibrant patches of red and brown nested across a fading carpet of dull greens. A heavy sigh erupted from Ibis as she patrolled, and she placed those thoughts in a box in her mind for safe-keeping, focusing on the present and the various scents mingling around her.