to call my own

Phim had nothing. The reality constantly dominated her thoughts, despite her efforts to push it out of her mind. She had been fairly distracted lately, able to ignore the truth to some degree. She'd explored the south, made new friends and acquaintances, and gotten familiar with Boreas again. But the truth was catching up to her.

It wasn't as though Phim was helpless on her own - she'd made several weeks alone after all - but she wasn't skilled either. All she could catch alone was small prey, she was lonely, she was hungry and thinning, and she was frightened. She knew better than most the kinds of predatory wolves that lurked in Boreas waiting to take out their own kind to fulfill some sick, twisted desires. She could hold her own, but she'd never been properly trained. If someone, or something, decided to harm Phim, she could do little to stop it.

What she needed was a new home to call her own. Not a family so much as safe haven and some friends. No one could replace Dai, but maybe they could help her survive until he came along. And maybe she could start cultivating a home for him to come back to. It was stroke of luck when she heard the call out of the Rio Grande, but she'd been far from it at the time. She'd made her way there slowly, debating the whole way, and arriving a day past the summons at the beginning of sunset. She set the trinket she'd carried on the ground, the small golden disc (an old war medal) from the plateau, and released her call, sitting back on her haunches to wait.
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