Never Give Up Hope

She stood hocks and elbows deep in the sea, the autumn chilled water lapping against her brisket and belly. She’d noticed a sleek form or two in the water, and weird barks that sounded almost canine, but not like any wolf she had ever heard in her life. Her mother had told her of aquatic mammals that lived primarily in the sea, though came ashore to rest and bask in the sun. Erani had seen much in her long, lonely few years of travel in her early years, before Starlite. One thing she had said about these water dwelling creatures was that they were rich in fat; blubber, and if you could catch one, they would be an excellent source of food for many days to follow, especially in the cold seasons. There weren’t many deer in this area of the West. The Estuary was primarily a bird habitat; squawky, twittering, quacking, chirping, noisy birds.

It made her rather wish they had moved northward, back to the Willows and Emerald Valley. But the move had been a short notice thing, and she had wanted to be near enough to keep an eye on the invaders. It would be easier on Battlesong to have a shorter distance to fly in order to conduct her scouting missions. The bird was getting older, having been in her prime years of life when Surreal had found her and rescued her. However, the Estuary had it’s uses. With so many birds present, yet another bird would be less noticeable.

Surreal stilled as a sleek figure crested the surface of the water, not ten feet away, before slipping away to the depths once more. She shook her head. This wasn’t going to be a one wolf job, not when the animals were in the water. So she sloshed back to the shore, shaking herself thoroughly to shed the water soaked into her fur. It appeared migratory duck would be the meal for the day. More feathers.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think