Ocean's Breath Plateau rosmarus

if she heard the approaching thunder of the herd she gave no indication. their bulky bodies moved together; sulukinak was far enough from them that sea spray frothed at her and the roar of the tide was a distraction.

her thoughts were focused on the look held by her dutch man. there had been horror there, she was sure of it. distrust maybe. not the understanding she had hoped for—and she felt alienated after having shared her questions, and after being corrected.

the hold upon the briars briefly strengthened and she tasted blood where the thorns pierced at her lips.

sulukinak finally drew away from the water's edge to seek the silence of the upper beach, and in doing so she stepped directly in to the path of running caribou whose approach had been hidden from her.

immediately there was a flourish of red as she ducked and tried to weave among their reaching limbs; not blood, but a plume of rose petal. thorns wrapped around the heel of one caribou; sulukinak found herself swiftly arriving on the other side of the stamping limbs, cantering and pulling away from them to safety.

it helped to be nimble—but otherwise she looked as spooked as the crowned creatures, unaware of how she'd managed it.