Phoenix Maplewood Growing Pains

Tags are mostly for reference, but either one of you or both are more than welcome to reply, because I like to push boundaries. LOL.

Amalia had started in her own territory and had found a river bend, ongoing and beautiful and on a whim she had followed it. Much to her ongoing delight as the secrets that lay at it's end unfurled for her. A gentle churr of happiness had curled out of her chest, and she stared open eyed and awed at the colors that unfurled.

Tall trees as long as she could see, there were birch and maple. Maple was sweet sticks and Birch great for when your chest hurt or you were coughing or just to chew if you wanted that minty fire that lit up your mouth, made breathing cold air painful. Berries of all kinds dipped and licked along the pathways. She would need to find a rabbit and skin it. Eat the berries with the fat from the skin. Rodyn from Moonglow had shown her that, who had been shown by Kukutux.

She was momentarily thrown from her thoughts as two scents heavy on the air stirred her nostrils. And she stood stock still hunter's gaze on the surrounding area. Searching. @Reno and @Colt had both been here. Rather recently if their scents were anything to go by. Why were both so close to her borders and why had neither one sought her out, more so the former not the latter.

She frowned and looked down her throat uncharacteristically tight. She had known at their last encounter, that it was not simply friendship she wanted from the former. However, it was also forbidden and it was unfair and he did not return her affections. Not that she had tried. She was not that type of she wolf, nor would she ever be. But even so, he was her friend and he had promised to visit her, but perhaps it was an empty promise, and with that her chest felt hollow.

She shook her head and moved away from the borders and the thoughts. Forcing herself to pay better attention to her surroundings. She would hunt a rabbit and have a snack with the berries. Maybe that would make her feel better. So with all the grace she had, she stalked and chased and caught a plump rabbit. It was not elk or deer, but it's fat would do the same.

Gentle precision, she cut at the legs and tail and tugged the rabbit fur into a big piece. Lay the meat to the side and with gentle tugs she pulled the fat from the bottom and carried the fur swiftly to the river that lay at the forest edge. She pushed it down, down weighted with rocks and she settled near it with her fat, and her berries and she had a small snack. Though her heart was still heavy.

She had time to wait on the squirrel's fur, so she buried the meat and berries. And settled with her head on her paws. Perhaps a nap would do her good. She closed her grass green gems, curled her hindquarters closer to her body, her tail tip tight against her body and over her nose and began to gently drift.