Totoka River ephemeral

zazen. the listener grasped the word as a drowning wolf might grasp at a driftwood protrusion from a riverbank. there was no sense in it, but there would be soon, she knew. but she was quickly losing the battle to anchor herself among the realm of the living, and there was no time for more questions.

keeper, with me, she gestured through the haze, turning with a dismissive nod to her other acolytes. speaker, you will tell rasha of our pilgrimage. answer her questions. she did not linger to see her commands carried out, for she knew they would be. the listener took her leave — and when the only other wolf in sight was her keeper, she sank against the ground and closed her eyes, and was still for many hours.