Cerulean Cape breaking water

dated for midday on the 14th

When she hadn't seen Mou in a day, she began to worry. Two days, and the panic began to rise. By the third day of his absence, she had followed his scent trail and found that it crossed the land bridge, headed to the mainland. It sprawled in front of her, vast as ever. Before, she had crossed it without any qualms; now, thinking of Iliksis, she hesitated, paws shuffling uneasily on the sand.

In the end, though, her fear for Mou meeting some dreadful fate all by himself far eclipsed any uneasiness she held, and she took slow, measured steps, following his scent. Along the way, she came across a carcass; she regarded it coolly, watching the flies. Stopped only for a moment, then continued, a shudder running through her, fine as silk. She did not look back, afraid that she might turn around if she did.

Finally, Maegi's feet hit terra firma, and she stopped to compose herself, getting her bearings. The path she had taken upon meeting her brother and Iliksis went one way; to her relief, Mou seemed to have gone the opposite direction. With a deep inhale--wondering if this was a mistake, and if her impulsiveness would once more get her into trouble--she headed up the beach, nose low and focused on the most important task at hand.

Iliksis was a cancer; she knew he would appear again in her life in some fashion. She couldn't control when or where, and she would not think herself safe from his clutches until she saw him dead. If she ran into him again before returning to the isle--so be it. And as for her other enemies. . . Last she saw of them, they were in the mountains, far from here. If they turned up on the coast, that would be an ugly twist of fate, indeed.

Mou. Keep thinking of Mou. The image of her friend in trouble spurred her on, and it was with a determined face, a slight swagger to her step, did Maegi continue, hoping the search would not drag on too long.