Noctisardor Bypass 'lo there do i see my father

She listened to the voices of the forest: the soft rustle of leaves as the Summertime breeze swept through branches; songbirds calling to their mates; buzzing of bees as they drifted from one bright wildflower to another. Ciri had not seen much of her father's claim in the days since he brought her there, but she could appreciate what little part of it she'd experienced so far.

She'd been lounging in a warm ray of afternoon sunshine when the sound of a small creature's approach captured her attention. The swallow pulled herself up onto her elbows to look around, her initial expectation to perhaps find a marten rummage on the forest floor, so she was surprised when the figure of a wolf pup ventured into her line of sight - followed swiftly by a paler child who shrieked after him.

Ciri gathered onto her paws, leaf litter clinging to her flank, and her vibrant eyes with urgency in the direction from which the pups had come. Such little children would not be alone in the woods, surely, so she anticipated a parent would be hot on their heels.

She stood there awkwardly, and after a few moments she stepped cautiously toward the duo. "Hey," the dark yearling called out sweetly, voice wavering with uncertainty as she checked again for any suggestion of an adult to follow, "where's your mama?"