Herbalists' Cache Tomorrow, I'll switch the beat to avoid yesterday's dance

@Lainie
@Ibis and any other members of UG
Edit: I meant to add that this is forward-dated to 11/12 if that's okay

Instead of traveling across the mountains again, Kavik led Lainie to the coast and they followed it east. He hadn't been sure where to go or what to do, but returning to the valley seemed like the right thing to do. He knew they couldn't continue to wander around just the two of them throughout the winter, and he had been racking his brain trying to figure out what to do. Elysium came to mind, but he just couldn't bring himself to go back into the mountains; they had already cost him more than he could have ever imagined, and he couldn't bear the idea of setting foot there anytime soon. Even just the sight of the peaks in the distance made grief swell in his chest. What had happened there had broken him, and he had no idea how to fix it. Some days, he was desolate, so consumed with grief and self-hatred that he felt helpless and other days, he was so incredibly angry; it didn't seem fair that his family had paid for his poor choices. Nothing seemed to numb the pain or restore his hope that the future would bring anything other than more pain. Sometimes, when his despair was at its darkest, he wondered why he was even still trying to do all of this. But he still had Lainie, and as long she was with him, he would continue on. 

The coast had not looked much better than the mountains; it was deserted of any packs, at least on the short stretch they had traversed. And from the scents, it seemed like it had been that way for a while. Sea debris was scattered across the sand, and the water raged angrily against the shore and cliffs. Something had devastated the coast, and he didn't want to spend anymore time there than was necessary.

He felt some relief once they crossed back into the valley. Their journey here had been pretty uneventful, thankfully. Prey was still scarce, and he often went without eating to ensure Lainie was fed; it meant that he remained thin under his thick coat and the cold seemed to bother him a little because of it. He compartmentalized the discomfort, though; it was the least of his worries. He just wanted to keep them safe. 

The woods were a welcome reprise from last few days of their journey, and he turned to his daughter as they crossed into the trees. Let's rest here for a while, he suggested. It would be dark in a few hours and they were both tired and hungry. The hunger might have to go unaddressed for now, but they could at least rest for a bit. He found a particularly dense section of the forest and settled against the trunk of a large tree, beckoning for his daughter to join him.