safe or not?

Her trip to Abaven’s borders hadn’t turned up nearly as much information as she had hoped. It seemed as if Noir had done the same as her and ditched the pack in the confusion of the volcano. Theta was far enough north to avoid most of the immediate danger. Going farther inland led her to see what was left of the destruction that the eruption had brought. The Ground was recovering slowly but there were still places deeply blackened with ash from both the volcano and the burning it had caused.

Theta had been walking through some of the most destroyed areas until she had come to the volcano itself. The land she had seen felt almost surreal. The presence of wolves was barely there and the wildlife was sparse as well. She had taken her time walking through it, she couldn’t say she enjoyed looking at it though. It brought a sense of heaviness to her heart. She could care less about the lives lost in the event, there were enough wolves around as it was what was a couple less. What got to her was the darkness of it all and the absence of greenery. There was no denying that this had happened and that she was alive before it did. Theta normally wasn’t the introspective type, but seeing the carnage almost made her one.

Theta had thought about how the eruption had provided her an out away from her family, how it was basically a blessing to her. Yet to others it wouldn’t have been, it wreaked havoc on their land and their livelihoods and possibly their loved ones. She was left unscathed and others would hold it in their hearts as an evil to fear and hate for ages. It was a rather odd thing to think about. She wondered what it meant for the future of the land. The wildlife and plants would surely recover in time, but would they ever be the same? Would anyone else dare to live or travel by the cause of all this wreckage? She certainly had, but who was to say if she wasn’t slightly crazy for doing so.

As she made her way around the base of the volcano she spotted another wolf on some ledge. It appeared she wasn’t the only one crazy enough to visit the scene of the crime. She wouldn’t bother them for the time being, it didn’t seem right to disturb someone who might be pondering the same things as she was.

She discovered a way that led further up the side of the volcano, it wasn’t a clear path but it wasn’t steep enough that she would go sliding down it should she take the wrong step. She carefully made her way up and spotted the other wolf again. This time she was closer and had a better look. They seemed to be covered in ash, just as she had gotten to be. Her travels had meant her paws were covered in the stuff and the darker reds on her fur had become even harder to discern from the natural black. The other wolf was darkened and she wasn’t entirely sure if she had seen them before. But…something about them was familiar. She wasn’t confident in her idea, but she was desperate. She wanted it to be true more than anything.

Theta’s mouth slowly opened as she almost whispered the word “Noir?”

wc: 570