Picture Perfect

The world had always been a kind and generous place in Serene’s mind; but perhaps that was because she was hidden behind her mother’s shield. Without her shield, the cold truth began to settle in, and rather quickly. She was not incompetent; she knew how to hunt small game, where to find water, the basics of healing bumps and bruises. But sometimes the hunt was unfruitful, the water had gone dry, the weather unrelenting, or an annoying twist of her ankles. Perhaps that was why she continued to move south, hoping for betterment of her life, or perhaps it was because she seeked distance from her past and the ghosts it held.

This morning brought with it a strange new land and staring her down for many miles now was a large, oddly shaped, rocked formation. She had seen many different types of rocks before, but this one was different. It was built like a fortress, an odd formation she could only assume was built by a higher being. Silently did the sandy female make her way towards the structure, her curiosity getting the best of her. Long legs stretched across the land, weaving through the terrain with ease. Before long, she had gotten close enough to begin making out the very details of the building.

Where something ancient and possibly magnificent once invaded the earth, a mere fragment now remained. Like a well fought battle, stone and vine intertwined, fighting over territory like a pair of honey badgers gone wild. Her eyes were entranced with the sight; her mind completely unaware of her bodies slow approach to the structure. Faintly could she smell other creatures that had been here before, possibly just as entranced with the stone mountain as she. It looked strong, protected, and most importantly; isolated. The wheels were turning inside her head as she closed the distance, that perhaps this would be her next stop for the time being. Maybe she could carve out her own little den somewhere in the structure and begin to find peace one again. Cautiously did her graceful paws tread deeper into the stone walls, taking in the sights and smells as she went.