my nine to five is cutting open old scars

It had been a little while since she'd joined Fiori, and only now was she beginning to regain her previous bulk. The girl had filled out, thanks to the care and love of her new family. Her violet pelt had regained its luster, her ribs no longer showed. Even better, she'd grown a little bit. Sure, she probably stood at barely twenty four inches at best, but it was something. She was quite happy here, and she wondered if she could stay in Fiori forever. She liked it, the mangroves were beautiful and Bacchus was the best friend she could hope for. However, her desire to see the world and all that was in it was still there. She wanted to see it all, especially the North, which her friend had spoken of briefly upon their initial meeting. She'd been everywhere else, if only for a short time each. The South, where she'd been born, the West, where Aunty Cataleya had taken care of her for a little while in Arcanum, and now she was in the East, living with Bacchus and her new family. Was it wrong to want to continue the adventure she'd started as a whelp, just out of the den? Maybe it was, but part of her didn't care. She wanted to surround herself with all the beauty the world had to offer.

Alabaster toes touched softly upon the cooling terra. She'd never experienced fall, this would be her first. The cooling temperatures were something she was unused to, but she thought it was interesting. The moisture in the air was starting to dissipate, something she was completely fine with. Muggy air, she'd found, wasn't something she enjoyed. In the east, snow was rare, but she wouldn't know what she was missing until she experienced winter elsewhere. A low hum vibrated in her throat, soft lyrics lilting faintly in her chest. It wasn't really sunny out, the sky almost completely covered by grey clouds. Would it rain today? She pondered this briefly, and decided she wouldn't mind it. Banner swung lazily behind her as she trotted along, inspecting the springs. She had stuck around the mangrove mostly, but had decided now was as good a time as any to explore the other territory her pack had claimed. Pausing at the edge of one spring, she stuck a paw into the water to see if it would glow at her touch. It didn't.

However, it was warm. Pleasantly so. With a small grin, she would wade into it. When it came close to brushing at her belly fur, she decided that was good enough. Now, she started gleefully splashing about in the warm aqua. Peals of laughter would leave her as she batted the crystalline liquid to and fro with her tiny paws, beaming like an idiot. It had been a long time since she'd played in the water, she realized. Well, maybe only long by her standards. Memories floated back, of a dark sand beach and a happy family. Things changed quickly, she mused. Her smile faded. Limbs stilled, and she sighed. Rump dropped heavily into the water with a loud splash, and she stared at her marred reflection in the water. Maybe her mothers hadn't liked her because of the stain on her face. She didn't like it, but she didn't think the splotch of ivory was that hideous. One sodden paw would rise, wrist rubbing at her features as though she were itchy. The stain would never go away, that much was clear, but she could hope, right? If it was gone, perhaps her family would become whole again.