These Days

Walk | Talk | Think

She was away from home again, as was becoming her custom. Any minute she spent there was always spoiled by the presence of her brother clinging to her side and trying to get under her skin, always ready with a remark to bother her and always testing those limits to see when she might snap. As much as she tried not to let on that it bothered her, it truly did. All she longed for was some quiet time, a chance to enjoy things by herself, but he was always there, pestering, bothering, being an absolute nuisance.

It only made sense that she should be away as much as she was. With a wide open world out there for her to explore, there were fewer places for Severus to find her, and plenty more places for her to hide. So far she had only remained within the east, relatively close to home but typically in less densely populated and visited locales. So long as she could stay clear of others - and keep herself hidden from her brother along the way - she hardly cared where it was that she ended up.

Aimless wandering had brought her toward what appeared to be a hot springs. The wells of warm water seemed strange to the girl as she stared at them from afar, watching as the misty rise of heat swayed above and over the waters into the wintry air. How was it that they remained so warm when everywhere around them there was snow? It was puzzling enough to draw her closer, though the sound of an eager voice stilled her steps the instant that she heard them. Though it was thankfully not the voice of her brother, Callisto was still wary. Not typically one for conversation, she tended to keep to herself and avoid others if at all possible, a terrible habit that had so far earned her no new friends outside of the family. But curious, particularly if either of the voices that she heard - because there were two now - were from others who knew anything about the springs she had a few questions before she would depart.

What she found was not simply another pair of wolves. There was one wolf, yes, a taller, paler male, but his companion was nothing more than a young white fox, jovial and full of excitement. The overall cheeriness that radiated from the pair was rather off putting for her, at least until she noted what it was the male was doing. Standing before a small plant, he carefully picked at the leaves, somehow severing them from the stem and taking them whole. What plant was that? And why did he gather its leaves? "What are you doing?" she asked, the silvery blue eyes in her blank expression staring purposefully at the plant and back at him as her petite grey legs carried her small pup body closer. It did not occur to her that she was acting out of character, seeking conversation when otherwise she would have run from it. All she could think about was why the male and his little fox friend had taken an interest in that one plant.