Stomping Grounds

Sleep was a strange thing that following night. She had been so thankful to Branch for letting her sleep in his territory and her homeland, but also for letting her sleep in his beautiful den. As if that wasn't enough, the male had showed true gentlemen qualities as he offered to sleep outside the den. It had truly meant a lot to her, especially after the ritual. Serene was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She had physically felt the presents of spirits, and she had felt a level of communications between them. Her mother had even appeared to her, and that was the biggest event of the whole ritual. It had brought back every memory they had shared together; every laugh and tear, every conversation, every adventure. Then she was gone and with her the fawn woman could feel a part of her leave her too, and that had drained her most of all.

When she had gone into the den to retire, sleep had found her, but so did her dreams. All through the night Serene had dreams of various situations; sometimes she was running through a meadow with her mother, causing soft yips and feet twitching in her sleep. Sometimes she was running away from that devilish male she had run into, Daemon, who wanted to claim her most precious gift. Tossing and turning into the early hours of the morning, feeling barely replenished from the previous days events. But she did manage to get a few hours of good, peaceful sleep, before she woke for the day. By then, her faithful guardian at the den entrance was gone, and in his place a delicious smelling hare. Normally, she would be too ashamed to eat a gift such as this, but her body was so exhausted, her mind so tired... she didn't have the will to resist. Her amber orbs gazed about the den site looking for Branch to thank him for the meal, but when his dark form wasn't in sight, she began to scarf down the hare.

She wasn't a completely horrible guest however, and she left half the hare for Branch for when he came back from wherever he went. While she waited, Serene was left in a daze, not really thinking about anything specific but also thinking about too much. Somehow she had wondered into one of the storage dens, where the scents of various herbs consumed her senses. It smelt like home if Serene was going to be completely honest. She let her eyes flutter close and have the scents guide her movements. Sweet, spicy, soft and strong, but then there was that one. Her eyes flickered open to see a familiar purple flower staring back at her. "Lavender..." She purred softly, a smile creeping up on her features. Her thoughts began to clear as she examined the herb, even being greedy enough to gently rub her muzzle along the stems to let the scent sink into her skin.