Stavanger Bay so rested he by the Tumtum tree

She had one last place to say goodbye to.

Blossom stood outside her childhood den with a pensive look on her face. The memory she had of this place was old, sepia colored, tinged by nostalgia and the tragedy that had followed their leaving this place.

Than every tragedy that followed.

Blossom sighed, suddenly feeling so very old. Slender limbs lifted from the ground, but she was only able to peer into the depths of the seaside den for a moment before pulling back with a wrench. It was too much. All of it was.

She turned, and began to make her way back inland. Snowdrop tittered as he rejoined her in the forest, tiny claws digging into her scruff as he perched there. She tilted her head to regard the shrike, before carrying on up the shore and into the wooded area of Stavanger Bay.

Seal’s pilgrimage through the Moon Villages was pleasant, even as the clan grieved their Star Hunter's loss. Shikoba had lived a full life, as evidenced by how the Moon villagers celebrated her. Seal had helped Ajei heal her wounds from her womanhood… met the leader of Morningside… traveled to Moontide… and all the while she thought of @Acrux and @Maggak… and @Frolic.

Each was drawn away by a mysterious call. For Adventure? Freedom? Autonomy?

The last time Seal had been adventurous she had been face-to-face with a hellcat….

But that was a long time ago.

In a bid to understand, Seal deviated from her path out of the Plateau and traversed through the dense Sentinel woodland. The trees there were massive! Bigger than even the tallest on Moonspear. Eventually, she emerged to overlook Stavanger Bay. There a golden girl, about the same age, walked with a small bird perched upon her shoulder. It immediately reminded Seal of Towhee Jr.

“Hi!” Seal called above the surf, tail wagging with exuberance.

Snowdrop tittered a high greeting, drawing Blossom’s attention away from her paws. Another young woman, pretty and streamlined. It almost made Blossom want to turn and nip at the fur on her shoulder some, to at least look a bit more put together.

Hello! She called in reply, jogging a few steps closer to more easily be heard.

Do you live out here? I’m sorry if I just waltzed right on in like that. Oh goodness, she should have paid more attention to the borders!

Seal, too, closed the distance between them. If there was one thing she loved, it was making friends.

This wolf reminded Seal of both Ajei and Bronte: petite in stature with glided furs. But – oh her eyes! They were like a sunset!

She caught herself staring in awe and cleared her throat sheepishly. “Ahem – Nae, dinnae fash,” she assured the traveler. “I live in village Moonspear.” Seal gestured over her shoulder to the tall, faraway, snowcapped peak. “I just came from Moontide, on the Plateau… and, well, felt like having a wee walkabout. My name’s Seal, what’s yours?” she asked with a giggle.

Oh, her voice! She sounded so different from any of the wolves Blossom had ever known, fascinating and new in such a way she was immediately trying to roll her tongue to mimic the sounds, but held off.

I’m Blossom! I used to live over there. She pointed to the way of the Willows, a brief arch of a foot.

But I also lived here too when I was a baby. This is Snowdrop! He’s my friend. The shrike tittered a little, leaving her neck to perch on top of her head where he could be more easily seen and admired.

Seal hummed a curious note when Blossom gestured to her distant homeland. She had never traveled farther north than the Great Bear Wilderness… and the thought of it reminded the young woman of Ajei’s Navajo ancestry and the unique culture of Muat-Riya. What other kinds of tribes and villages existed out there?

…but it seemed Blossom also had ties to the coast. She went on to introduce the small bird as Snowdrop.

Seal’s eyes went big. “He’s so cute!” she gushed. The Moonsperian marveled at Blossom’s ability to bond with an avian and wondered… if Seal could befriend a bird, what kind would it be? “My aunt also had a bird-friend,” she commented. “He stays with you?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

She giggled in response to the other girl’s praise, Snowdrop himself preening beneath the attention.

For the most part! He likes to hide in my neck fur, I guess he’s too lazy to build his own nest. For that, Snowdrop tittered and chirped, hopping back down her neck in a tizzy after pulling at her ear with his beak.

There’s a pack around here? She knew there used to be one in the bay, she could kinda remember the face of the leader lady, but that had been a long time ago. She didn’t even remember the name!

Seal admired, and even envied, the relationship between Blossom and Snowdrop. The small bird really seemed to enjoy the wolf’s company! A constant companion seemed like a nice thing to have…

“Och, what’ll happen if he brings a wee ladybird back?” Seal joked with a laugh. Soon, Blossom might host a whole family of Shrikes chicks!

The conversation changed with a question. “Aye, many,” Seal affirmed. “Most of the packs here are all allies, and their villagers freely come an’ go.”

She started with her snout pointed towards Oroborus Spine. “Moonglow is that way… its the longest established pack. It’s led by Kukutux, also known as Moonwoman, an’ her husband Aiolos… though, their daughter, Vaire, is training tae become the new leader.” Next she gestured to Ocean’s Breath Plateau. “Their son-in-law, Rodyn, leads Moontide.” Then Seal again pointed, again, at Moonspear. “An’ their daughter, Sialuk, leads Moonspear. Inbetween, in Deepwood Weald, is a pack called Morningside led by a man named Dutch. They’re good allies with the rest of the Moon Villages.

“Oh… an’ beyond, in the Hinterlands, is a pack called Sun Mote Copse… that’s where my Mum and Da lead a pack,” she added with a proud puff of her chest.

“Will you travel back home tae the Willows now?” Seal genuinely asked. “Or, are you headed somewhere particular?”