salt in the wound

There'd been no sign of Ophie for weeks and weeks now. Kaija had initially convinced herself she was likely just worrying a little too much about her best friend, but after so long had passed without even a whiff of her near the borders… Kaija started to really worry. She'd even stood near Armada's borders and called out for her a few times, and Kaija knew deep in her heart that Ophie wouldn't just ignore her calls, not unless something was very seriously wrong.

Over the last few weeks Kaija had convinced herself of the worst. That Ophie was dead, or she was being held prisoner in the Armada. So many things her friend had said echoed over and over in her head on a repeating cycle as she tried to come up with a reason why she was missing and Kaija couldn't find hide nor hair of her. Not that she'd ever said anything about her family mistreating her, it just seemed like they didn't really accept her for who she was, not like Kaija did. She loved Ophie just as she was, just like she had since the very first day they'd met.

That was why she doggedly darted back and forth along the border of the forest, frantic as she looked for any sign of her. This had been her routine for a few hours now, from the time the sun first started to set until now. The moon was at its peak in the sky, only partially obscured by cloud cover as a light wind whisked through the area.

The decision to trespass seemed sudden but it was anything but. Maybe a more rational, level-headed wolf would've just called for someone in a position of leadership and asked about Ophie's whereabouts, but if they'd done something to her it wasn't like they'd tell her anyway. This felt necessary, she just hoped that she'd find something and her risky decision would be worth it.

Kaija was as quiet as she was able to be as she crept through the underbrush into Armada territory, keeping her head low and her ears perked for signs of anyone who might be around. First on the agenda was to find a hint of Ophie's scent deeper in the territory and see where it led her. After that… well, she'd figure the next step out as she went.