Lost Creek Hollow the stars are alive

the breeze hugs tight to her bedraggled figure as she beholds the sleeping boy a few lengths away. it had actually been the abundance of birds singing melodies so sweetly lilting in comparison to the hissed jeers the wind had taunted her with since the moment she'd fled the borders of whitebark stream that had caught the attention of a wayward mind and resulted in wearied paws coming to a stop. only then had she noticed the tranquil figure at rest before her and although initial instincts had tried to tug her away from his presence; she'd become quickly fixated on the placid features before her. what lay before her could be a notorious criminal, a renowned hero or anything inbetween and yet in the blissful land of sleep they lost the claws of 'individuality', the whispers and croons of past experiences that shaped them into what roamed the world at that moment. 

a small movement tilts her head to the side as she marvels at the act of sleep, something done by every creature trapped here every single day and yet resembling the outlandish concept of death to an unnerving point. did it serve as a reminder? whatever force lingered in babbling creeks and rustling trees made them all sleep just as it had the ability to strip them of life with a single gesture. a chill danced through her as she beheld the fallen figure, had papa's face fallen into this slack state of peace when his final breath had shifted free from his body? did darkness wrap you into one eternal embrace when the end drew near, was it terrifying or...inviting? like freeing yourself to the caress of sleep after pushing forth for so long, stripping the pain and exhaustion for a little while. her nose wrinkled with surprise at the silent dampness to have slipped free, a few wordless tears slipping smoothly from wide eyes. nothing like the manic burning she'd experienced within her gaze ever since artyom had uttered the treacherous 'i'm sorry'. yet despite the consistent lingering of flaming pain within her eyes, the release of actual tears had never been granted.

why now? and why just those few, what had earned her this miniscule relief, the smallest breach in a dam. was it just because she'd been nearing the point of bursting free and it wanted to keep that roaring pain within, letting a few out so that the rest would settle? so lost in this winding dwam, she would start at the rustle of movement before her. luck would jump in only to have it that a fox appeared off to the side at the same time as her own rustle, drawing the newly visible gaze of the boy to it as she stuck closer to the tree reaching laden arms above her.

her mind yells 'go', yet this is a stranger and although the idea of coming across someone she knows, having to explain what...well this wolf expected nothing of her and so the small movement to pull her quickly from her cover before he could catch her spying would draw her closer as she'd murmur "i'm not disturbing you am i?"