The End of the World

It was the end of the world.
Not literally, of course. But it could have been: the sudden drop, the treacherous path, the sea to the horizon.

The very edge of the world met the embrace of the sea. The constant ebb and flow of the tides promised to eat away the land until there was nothing left, just the sandy bank.

Vibrant moonlight shone down on the shifting water, its reflection a poor facsimile of its glory in the sky. Yet, its beauty was undeniable on a night as clear as this one. The moonlight drowned much of the starlight in its brilliance, but the far blue horizon was still speckled by the little lights. On a night such as this, the cliffside all but glowed: the lack of starlight was made up for in glistening mica in the walls of the precipice, streaks of golden color as veins of solid gold reached the surface...

Kuwindwa did not regret the perilous journey down the craggy path to the shore one bit. Right now, every careful pawstep had been worth the effort.

The woman still carried the perfume of the wildflowers at the cliff's top on her coat - the stiff sea breeze couldn't carry it away yet. She was currently seated, her head lifted toward the rising moon as if she were basking in its glow. In a way she was; she prayed silently, taking in the sounds and smells of this new place, eyes closed. She took a deep breath, released it slowly, then opened her bronze eyes to gaze upon that heavenly glow once more. The look of peace on her face right at that moment was entirely foreign - but none would have a way of knowing that were the case. It was the night, the full moon, the utter loneliness here... but it wasn't a bad loneliness. Indeed, "loneliness" was perhaps a poor word for the serenity offered by the white sand and constant whispering of the tide. Her tail traced a line in the sand as she pulled it closer to her paws, completing the image of a statue.

She hadn't felt peace like this in months - it was almost like before. Before everything changed and she was alone.