Blocked At Every Turn

Aerndis attempted to work her way west but it wasn't going very well, often at times she found herself having to go southward and so she'd just opted to remain in the east for the winter. Making sure she was able to stay alive was her first priority and solo hunting was hard enough without the disaster that had befallen the land. Prey was scarce, the winter harsh and so she was forced to delay her plans in returning to Legion with news of her family. It was frustrating. Spring was finally here but she was no closer to getting home and as far as she could tell the weather hadn't changed that much. It was still cold, ash still set a haze across the sky.

The sun was almost in its noon position by the time Aerndis decided she would head west and see just how far she could get before she felt the need to turn back. There was no way to know for sure how some of the internal territories were doing other than to just explore them herself. With Griff in the sky she headed out and soon found herself crossing into the territory that housed the Hot Springs. The water of the Hot Springs was boiling violently still. It bubbled like a mad cauldron and the once clear water was tinted and tainted with ash that added a sickly hue. The once beautiful forest was gone. Any reminder that it had once existed at all were the pillars of charcoal rising out of the earth and the blackened, scorched earth. Ash lay in a thick layer over the territory. Every time Aerndis would take a step it would stir the ash into the air and she found herself coughing.

Frowning she looked about herself. This land was dead. There was little chance that any prey could survive here and so it was useless as a hunting ground. It made her fear for other territories. Would she have much of a homeland to go to? If Legion had moved how on earth was she going to find it? She couldn't just go up asking every loner she ran into if they'd heard of her pack and where to find it. Well, she supposed she could. It wasn't ideal but it was an option. By now any scents of the pack would be difficult if not impossible to trace. To the north she could see the orange glow of fire and the plumes of smoke still rising into the air, mixing with the billowing ash that still rolled lazily out of Mount Volkan. The sky was gray and dark. The whole territory looked sick. It was depressing to even explore any more. Usually, when she explored she was struck with the beauty of the world around her and now she felt herself struck with a feeling of great sadness and loss. All around her everything was dim and despondent.

Sighing she continued on but the ash was getting thicker in the air and she was finding it difficult to breath. Her eyes stung and her throat itched. She found herself having to stop and cough every few minutes. And then, as if to make matters worse, the earth began to shake. Mildly at first until it crescendoed into a violent shaking that knocked Aerndis down onto her side. The earth rumbled and ground against itself, starting to split in some places. The boiling water in the hot springs shook and spilled over, striking rocks and evaporating in a hiss of steam. She swore and stumbled back to her feet before turning around and heading back east. She just couldn't risk this right now. She was already weak from hunger. The best course would be to get back to safety and see if she could snare herself a good meal. Once Aerndis worked her strength back up then she could try getting back to Legion. Hopefully, by then she could be sure the pack had returned and there would be an easier path to return.

The ground slowed its shaking but still the tremor vibrated through it. Aerndis ran, ash kicking into the air as she worked to get out of the way of this dangerous land. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in a dam earthquake. She eyed the fire to the north. So far the wind was blowing to the west so she wasn't expecting the fire to swoop down on her but still it was difficult to tell and she didn't dare push her luck. It was not wise to turn one's back on a fire for in that moment the wind could shift and a wolf could find themselves staring down their own death. She just needed to get out of here. There was nothing to gain, nothing to salvage.

Slowly the shaking stopped and with her feet fully under her Aerndis galloped harder until she was finally out of that poor, cursed territory.