Noctisardor Bypass The world was made of water and I was a ship

For @Artio! Other tag is just for ref, expanding on what Danni and I discussed <3

The boy, @Rowyn, was a welcome addition to the bypass. The nights were no longer quite so cold, and now there were two of them to hunt. Though she rarely spoke, Goldfinch spent much of her time with Rowyn, dedicating her days to teaching him the best ways and places to find small meals. Goldfinch sustained herself on the little rodents and lizards, mostly, but there were bugs and flowers and berries to eat too.

But now that she had the boy to look after, she found herself tracking larger meals in her sparse moments of solitude. Secretly she worried that the boy would get hurt; these hunts would be only her own, for now.

Today Goldfinch had followed the river southeast from the bypass, and now returned triumphant, carrying the still-damp carcass of a river otter. It would make a fine dinner for the pair — but first, she would need to find the boy.