Broken Boulder oh, i just love the kind of woman who can walk over a man

The fairy tale of Bracken Sanctuary was over.

Perhaps it had ended a long time ago, when the sparkle had worn off. When she and Alarian had started to argue, or when she realized that the life she had built for herself here was far inferior to what she had back home. But it was well and truly gone, now, with the infestation into sickness. . .sickness into death. Lily was physically recovered, but there was a haunted look in her eyes that suggested what she had seen could never be erased.

She thought of the idyllic picture of an existence by the sea that Dirge had painted in her mind, and grasped onto that in her darkest moments--holding onto a future that was likely impossible. It got her through the days, though, and what more did she have to lose? Whispers of relocation were starting to circulate inside the Sanctuary, anyway.

She might as well fold her desires into duty--make herself happy as well as everyone else.

Lily cast up a summons for @Alarian and @Delight, @Seabreeze and @Olive, hoping that at least one would come quickly. She wanted to leave, and she wanted to do it now. She had to do it now.

Not all of you have to hop in if you don't have time!! Just whomever is available <3

Lily had been on the mend.  Nobody had died yet (although the Governor's sister was still on death's door) and for that she was grateful.  She didn't know how she'd handle it, because while they hadn't found a cure for this mysterious illness, she felt as if she might shoulder the blame if someone died.

So yeah.  Really nice that nobody had died.  She was sick of feeling guilty.  But the call did take her by surprise.  She was still getting used to this whole "being a responsible leader" thing, and her responsibilities hadn't changed all that much... but she should probably respond to this, right?

Yeah.

So she headed towards the summons with a clipped gait and a sense of urgency.  You called?

It was Seabreeze who answered her call, to her slight surprise. She knew Delight was sick, and that Alarian was caring for him, but she assumed that her old friend would be first to arrive. Nevertheless, Lily flashed her a shy, small smile, shifting on her paws. At the question, she nodded, her gaze flitting toward the southern border of the Sanctuary.

"We can't stay here any longer," Lily said, much to the shock of no one. "It's. . .even if the cats go away, or all die, it's still disgusting. It'll take forever to clean up the mess, and who knows how long the sickness will go on-- Broken Boulder is simply uninhabitable, now."

She sighed, finding it hard to have that truth hanging in the air between them, finally spoken aloud. "I need to go look for an old. . .friend," she trailed off, not sure how to describe Dirge and their one-time tryst. "I want to look for a better home for us, while I'm away. Is there anywhere you can think of. . .perhaps near the coast?"

She nods in agreement.  Alarian and I have discussed it a bit, she admits, but that thread is still ongoing.  I agree with you.  We cannot live here.  To punctuate the women's point, two cats started fighting very loudly somewhere nearby.  

Ahem.  They really needed abled bodies here, but ... they needed scouts, too.  I don't know of anywhere.  Down south, where we came from, there is famine.  And I do not want to settle too close to the pack Sunspire.  Personal and professional reasons, of course.

How long would you be gone?  She should really talk to Alarian about this before she gives permission... but she is leadership now, right?  Sort of.

She figured as much. How could they not talk about it, at this point? They could only hope that whatever bad luck had visited them here would not follow them to their next home. Lily tried to memorize Seabreeze's words, Sunspire in particular. It sounded familiar, like they'd been close by before--but it was alien enough to slip away unless she worked hard to keep it in mind.

"I don't know," she admitted, with a small shrug. "Not too long. If I don't find him within a moon or so, I'll come back. And I'll look for places along the way." The girl tilted her head, seeking some sort of guidance from the woman. They were around the same age, but for some reason, Seabreeze seemed much older. "What should I be looking for?"

She thought about it for a moment.  I think I'd rather die than live on a rock again, but that's just me.  By the coast sounds nice.  It'll need to have a freshwater source, and I'd like to keep a place for a communal densite if we can manage it.  But at this point?  Anywhere that isn't here would suit us.  Presumably she'd talked to @Alarian about this and some of their other preferences, but if not PM me and I can fix it.

She pauses for a moment.  And Lily?  Be safe.  She didn't know any of her packmates very well but she knew Lily better than the rest.  I need you to come back so you can be friends with my children.

She took careful note of Seabreeze's preferences, which weren't so stringent, really. No mountains--that much was clear. Lily thought she could deal with that; there were plenty of places that weren't mountains, after all. The rest were small details, almost trivial. . .they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. Right now, they just needed to get out.

"I will," she murmured in response, smiling. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can." Hopefully not alone, she thought, but perhaps that was a pipe dream. What did she have to lose by searching for him, though?

Lily dipped her muzzle in gentle farewell to Seabreeze. "I'm going to go as soon as I can. I need to say goodbye to Alarian, and Korei,  and--and Eris." Her face grew mournful at mention of the latter; Eris was in rough shape. This could be the last time she saw her friend again. If by some miracle, she were still alive when Lily got back. . .

They would find that paradise. Chase after boys and spend nights talking under the stars.

She hoped so much that this was not the end for all of them.

She gave Lily a short nod.  It was good that she would take things up with Alarian, too; Seabreeze did not want to be left to explain that she'd given Lily permission (because really, even though she was a leader was she a leader?)

She gave the girl a small smile, saying Take care, Lily. before she turned and went to tend to one of her patients.