Greatwater Lake a string of pearls

Saēna lingered away from home for several hours after Junior was gone. She still couldn't face Blue Willow yet and the knowledge that she would return to a betrayed people was weighty. Staying here in the flatlands was avoiding the problem, but Saēna was pretty good at that. She'd evaded Blue for nearly a month after their argument, after all.

The creek she followed continued into the sprawling east but Saēna turned south instead. By Junior's word, Fox and Peregrine were that way, and the fiery little female was the last one Saēna wanted to see. She'd never been this far east before, having gone south on her little journey, and didn't know what to expect, but when she discovered a lake, she was momentarily breathless. It was huge!

Her attention remained on the choppy water as she circled around its edge, only leaving when her foot thumped against something warm. The petite female looked down to see to reddish fur in a lump on the ground. For a second her heart constricted as the name Kisu crossed her mind, but she swallowed down the well of emotion when she realized that Siv was too small to be her real father.

Saēna backed up a few steps and said, "sorry, didn't see you. Are you all right?"