Cedar Sweep for the weight of us

oh you know who you are

a light drizzle dampened the forest that morning. the gentle sound of rain droplets falling on wood was very soothing. it was the perfect weather for pondering. issun traversed the land with his head tilted upwards. ever since the redhawk’s visit, he had grown increasingly worried about their dwindling numbers. leaving the forest was not something he wished to do, it felt like a home in a way. he considered searching for recruits himself but figured it’d be much better if laska or hageshi could do the job, so he sought out for one of the two.

Shuku walked along the mostly deserted path, her coat dirty and her stomach empty. Her nose was nearly touching the ground as she desperately tried to catch the scent of  prey in the area. Ever since she had left her home to make a new one she didn't have that much luck with finding food. She had caught a sparrow a few days ago, and had dug up a family of mice, but neither of those had been enough to satisfy her hunger. She almost felt like giving up and collapsing to the ground in sorrow, but she was determined to succeed. So she kept dragging herself along the path, the long ends of the tree branches raking her back as she walked under them until she came to stop. She sniffed the ground around her. It smelled strong and fresh. Shuku had finally done it, she caught the scent of something.

a dark figure seemed to slither towards him. at first he thought it was hageshi and trotted over with a smile on his face. as he came closer, her features became more and more unfamiliar. her presence would be met with annoyance on any other day, but he was happy to see the loner. a potential recruit, god knows they needed them. issun chuffed to announce his presence.

—

the two shared a few words and issun asked her about joining kamiki. she was skeptical at first but obliged. he was happy to have his sisters back either way.