Jade Fern Grove i follow waves of the ocean of my womb

witch's heart hammered in her chest as she followed the river around silencepine, further and further until she could suddenly say she was no longer within the borders of rivenwood. she had every intention of returning, but worripa's disappearance had made the child curious— and her conversation with druid some nights before, even curioser! their home was magickal, but was every other place in the world like it?

she knew that mother likely would have come with, had only she asked, but witch wanted this for herself. druid had bracelet. heda had her new name. worripa would return someday with tales of distant lands... but what did witch have?

the child looked in wonder at the ferns before her, some beginning to die away in the late-summer heat. the thin trees barely offered shade, a much different forest than she was used to within rivenwood. but there was no thrumming of the earth, here, and the cricketsong was unfamiliar. and beyond... there was so much of the world she could not see from behind the rocky walls that protected rivenwood.

she sat, suddenly, changing eyes hungrily looking towards the distant lands, committing their beauty to memory, inventing stories of what must go on out there.

The wanderer's travels had brought her to an area she had decided to settle in, at least for the time being, so she might vet ber bearings and learn her surroundings by simoly being immersed in them. The young one from Rivenwood that she had met had been an interesting creature- so surely there mignt be more of her ilk about. Curious beings that spoke of sharks living in lakes, and chasing birds for the sake of seeing where they went. 

A glade filled with ferns caught her attention and piqued her curiosity. Surely, in a glen this verdanf, she might have some luck. After all, in every patch of clovers, one had a chance of finding one with four leaves. 

It would seem, though, that she was not the only one drawn to the area to enjoy the waning green of the fern glade- another youth, about Heda's age she thought, and familiar still by the scent she carries- gazed wide-eyed into her surroundings. 

The small red wolf padded forward, rustling the fronds of ferns until she could get a better view of the young wolf, noting the pattern of darker fur that spilled across her pale coat, the way a young, moulting bird might look as it grew into its adult plumage. 

"Want to see something really special?" She enticed, her dark eyes sparkling. With a friendly wave of her tail, she beckoned- before turning to recede into the thick of ferns, figuring her invitation might be enough to spark the young one's curiosity.

her dark ears twitched as the ferns rustled, and her chartreuse gaze moved to follow it. she was rewarded with the figure of a reddish wolf approaching — nearly the age of mahler, she guessed. before she could introduce herself, the she-wolf asked a question that promised magic if witch were to follow. and she was off amongst the ferns again, leaving the juvenile alone to catch up.

she knew it wasn't wise to blindly follow a stranger; druid's recent experience with the cougar had taught her that. but witch was easily swayed by the promise of magic, of story, of adventure. it was only fair that she had those journeys of her own, as her densisters did.

hey, wait! she called after a beat, leaping from her seated position to hurry after the she-wolf. she pushed herself to catch up, then matched the woman's stride. witch's eyes darted as she took in the changing scenery, but kept returning to the red-furred elder, curious and hungry. i'm witch, she offered a bit breathlessly. where are we going?