Two Eyes Cenote calling the scarlet sands

Suzu had hoped that her job, throughout all the searching, might be simply to mind the borders. She did not travel well, and with winter approaching, she had little that was higher on her priority lists than eating as many calories as she could to fight the cold wind she knew would come. Wolves had left in pairs to search for the girls, returning every now and again and spelling each other off. None seemed to come back with any conclusive evidence. 

She was summoned by her mother to accompany Tousaint; Chani, apparently, had begged to go looking and Chacal had allowed her to go, though she seemed to worry now. Tousaint- the bitter one- now also wanted to go and in the interest of keeping an eye on two of this year's youths, she was asked to help Tousaint track Chani down, to make sure that she returned safely. 

Tousaint had never been one of Suzu's favourite nephews; she loved him, but she despised the way he looked down his snout at others. Not that Miette or Astera were a walk in the park, either, but at least they were friendly. He spared very few words for her while they travelled and walked just fast enough that she had to shuffle along, huffing and puffing. More than once she had to call out for him to slow down, only to gain a roll of his eye and the flick of an ear. 

She increased her own speed when she realized that Chani hadn't gone on a mere jaunt around the valley- her trail led deep beyond the mountains, to where the land became low, dry, and flat. Concern spurred her on, though her stomach gurgled and growled and her paws, knees and lower back ached from all the walking. 

But when she smelled food... Her spirits lifted. And under the moonlight, the desert transformed into something beautiful, and the cool breeze gave her some relief from the journey. Friendly coyotes came to greet them, ushering them forward and Suzu was far too exhausted to disagree- especially when she saw the LITERAL BUFFET OF FOOD.

Her jaw fell slack. 

Whatever kind of life it was they lived in Sapphique, this was something else. Elevated dining, where the scent of herbs and honey mixed with the food, fat glistening in the pale light. She salivated, and her stomach's complaints came even louder- until she was supplied with a liquid that was dark and fragrant. It would be rude of her to eat now- while the ceremony was taking place- but the feremented juice would sate her appetite for a while, at least. 

Tousaint sat near Chani, who she was relieved to see. But Suzu herself remained as close to the buffet as possible- just waiting for the feast to begin.