You will be aware of an absence, presently,

This was not one of the girl's favored biomes. Mud, black as tar, sucked relentlessly at her tired feet as if each tug away were only more encouragement. Circe was ready to leave, having traversed the majority of the watery grounds when a form solidified in the distance. Jowls part to taste the breeze. The air is stagnant and wet. It is difficult to determine just what this creature is, wallowing in that damp dirt. The girl's heart flutters with excitement and misunderstanding. Injured, perhaps dying, her company would make a sizable meal. Circe treads towards that dark, distant forum and as she approaches finds only disappointment. Her tail whips about with agitation. Another wolf. Yet perhaps this one is unwell. Circe is not uncomfortable eating her own kind but she cannot determine what has made this creature so ill for the woman appears otherwise healthy, even robust. A short bark echoes from her jowls the way a buzzard caws at its prey to test the waters.

Growing beside you, like a tree,