Flycatcher Downs don't say yes, run away now

"There's only so much growing you can do while you're in somebody else's pack," Eshe had once told @Figment. She'd be content then, and there was no reason to uproot herself from the comfort of her home. "You have to go out and start your own thing if you want to grow." Her family was the only thing she'd ever known, and although the world beyond the Frosthawk's claim was compelling, she favored stability over satiating her curiosity.

Things had changed since Figment left. 

The seasons came and went, her parents continued to fuck all the time and pop out more children expand their ever-growing family, and her life had become stagnant. She had no children or mate. She'd watched so many of her siblings disperse to explore the world and never come back, and at the ripe age of four, she finally felt like it was her turn to go.

"I won't be too far away," Eshe told her parents before she'd left, hoping to not only comfort them, but herself, too. "No more than a few days travel." Rannoch had pulled her into a bearhug before she had left and said something that he often told her: "I'm so proud of you." He knew how long she had contemplated this. "Don't be a stranger, my girl." Somehow, after being told time and time again about how proud he was, she finally felt like his praise was justified.

When they had said their goodbyes, Eshe began her journey and never looked back.

Flycatcher Downs wasn't the picturesque place she had envisioned. Instead, it was drab and flat, and the short grass picked her feet. "I can't believe I left home for this place." She couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Although she wasn't ready to give up, the temptation of returning was becoming more appealing.

Walking through the Downs was like walking on Legos, but at least the sun shone, and an occasional gentle and rolling breeze combed through her fur. It reminded Eshe of when Liffey would groom her head whenever she wanted some attention from her mom. So, at least this place had that going for it.

She headed north, sniffing the wind every so often to see if there was any prey in the area—or anybody else, for that matter. But, so far, she was coming up short on both fronts.

She hadn't expected traveling to be so lonely.