A few days had passed since the funeral of her father’s friend, Adura. And although they had preformed a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony for her, there was still an aura of sadness enveloping the kingdom. It would take time for the hearts of the older pack members to heal. She did what she could to try and console the others, but it all was starting to feel… suffocating. She wanted to take a day to herself, to go out and do what she loved most- explore. And so, that morning, she’d taken a nice hot bubble bath. Combing her fur to perfection, putting on the necklace her parents gifted her, and spraying herself in the floral perfume she loved. She also grabbed a small bag full of dried-out grapes- raisins, father called them. It was a gift for a friend- one she hadn’t seen in a long time. But today, she would change that.
She was going out to explore, yes, but she already had a destination in mind. Akito’s bamboo. The death of a loved one was a stark reminder of one's mortality- and it made Clove want to pursue her passions even more, even at her young age. But she wasn’t the girl Akito had seen in the past. She was a yearling now, and had grown into the body of a teenage girl- youthful, supple, and gorgeous given her royal lineage. She cared a lot more about her appearance, and it was obvious in the way she carried herself. As she traveled south, the bag of raisins strewn across her shoulders. She wondered if Akito looked any different, given the time that had passed.
After a few hours of travel, she ran straight into a wall of towering foliage. It looked like… a maze, was the best she could describe it. The towering stalks of bamboo looked like the wood from a tree, only different. It was green, had sparse leaves, and the way it sounded knocking against itself in the wind, was calming. Lingering near the borders, trying to find a proper entrance. She waited a bit before tipping her head back and calling out for her friend, who she hoped was home today.
"Speech"
