Looking up at the sky

OOC: Set before Honeyberry joins Kesali

IC:
It had been some time since she'd heard from Branch that he would be forming a pack where all Wreckage wolves would be welcome. Since they'd scattered, it was hard to say where all of their siblings and cousins had ended up. So, it was up to those who knew of Kesali to find their other family members and share the news. Honeyberry had been wandering for several seasons on her own now, first wondering idly when she would see one of her relatives again, and now was determinedly seeking them out. But they were so spread out, dotted across the lands, that she felt she was more likely to run in to a stranger than one of her own. Not that she minded making friends, but more than anything right now, she yearned to be reunited with her family.

Traveling from the south-west, Honeyberry had made her way through a glorious new-growth forest that still carried the faint scent of charred foliage and earth. She almost would have stayed, had she not been resolute about finding her siblings. She'd skirted around an aggressive-looking mountain, all fiery and hostile, then edged her way past Abaven territory. Her paws had become tender after carrying her over jagged, rocky terrain, continuing her north-eastern path. It had been a tiring journey, having pushed herself to keep moving with as little rest as she could get away with, and not knowing her way through the land had caused hours to dissolve into days.

As the sun began its descent toward the horizon one afternoon, the Wreckage woman had begun to follow the scent of water. She'd come across small puddles and standing water on her travels, but the relatively dry fall season had done nothing to replenish water to the earth after the summer. Her need for water and rest drove her through the tall, dry, disorienting grasses. At last, the endless grass gave way to cattails and reeds, and as she moved along their edges, she finally came upon a sandy shore at the edge of a lake. She bounded toward the water, laughing to herself as her paws kicked up sand, a delightful sensation to her sore paws. She splashed into the water without hesitating, feeling the cooling touch soak through the fur on her legs and belly. Her neck craned downward, and she lapped and chomped at the water, enjoying its feel on her tongue before flicking it down her throat.

Honeyberry waded deeper into the cool water, and deeper still, until her paws left the sand and she floated lazily along the surface. Tension melted away from her tired muscles. When she felt her eyelids growing heavy, she paddled toward the shore and made her way back to dry land. She shook out her dripping coat before moving several steps away, turning on the spot to trample down the sand so that she could lay tucked away in the small dip she'd made in the sand. She didn't intend to spend the night in such an exposed place, but for now, she was content to rest her weary body, beginning to doze as she enjoyed the buzz of a thriving ecosystem carrying on around her.