She Told Me I Couldn't Fly

It had been two days since she had staggered back to the den, and two days since she had left it. The cool darkness offered little solace to her as she lay there, her fur disheveled and stained with the blood that had trailed from her nose after bashing her face against the rocks. For two days, the echoes of her desolation reverberated within the stone walls, a silent testament to an unsuccessful attempt at escape. Her body ached with the aftermath of a desperate leap from a cliff, a leap that destiny had denied her. The pounding headache, a brutal companion, throbbed in rhythm with her shattered spirit. She had been robbed. How could she have possibly survived?

As the sun began its ascension on the third day, Aurelia stirred from her slumber- immediately scrunching her eyes at the unrelenting drumming in her skull. She shifted, her body protesting as she moved. Slowly, she opened her eyes and greeted the darkness. The girl knew she had to leave the den, she had basic needs to attend to that couldn't go on being ignored. Aurelia pushed herself up onto her paws, shaking off the remnants of sleep and the pain that still gripped her body. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead, and staggered her way toward the entrance of the den. As she emerged, the brightness of the morning light made her wince, and she had to steady herself against the steadily thawing terrain. At least it was spring.

"Aurelia Veratti"