Hide and seek with less seek

The ruby and ivory pup didn't often wander far from him and on most accounts this probably wasn't even considered that far. He had gone just beyond the confines of the pale forest that made up the majority of Ashen's territory and ventured into the swamplands that were just next door. He had his companions with him, Ruby and Slate, so he didn't feel afraid of anything he might find out here. The hawk and the snow leopard were both very good at keeping him out of trouble—much to his chagrin at times. Sometimes they were too good at keeping up with him and it almost became a game of hide and seek without Ruby and Slate every actually agreeing to the game. It didn't really matter if they did or not though, they were too good and always won.

However, today might be an exception. He was running around, bounding through the marsh of the swamplands, dodging through the trees. He knew it would be harder for Ruby to follow him under the tree cover, but usually Slate could keep up with him. At some point, as it began to get dark, he looked back behind him and noticed that the gray and white leopard was nowhere to be seen. He had a small moment of victory because he had finally evaded his dutiful keepers and he kept running, jumping over the stretches of half-frozen water while barely containing his laughter. He ducked inside a hollow log that was covered in snow, grinning and catching his breath while just waiting for his companions to catch up to him and find him any moment now.

The minutes ticked by and still he didn't even hear them approaching. He waited and waited, his grin starting to fade as he wondered to himself where they were. It was getting dark very quickly and eventually his feeling of victory started to shift into a little bit of concern. With a sigh he came out from the log, saying, "Alright, guys! You can stop looking! I'm right here! I really got you this time, huh?" He looked around, his blue and lavender gaze searching the empty winter swamp for what he expected to be frantic, worried feline and hawk. There was no one though, it was just him and the empty, quiet swamplands.

His ears flicked uneasily and he frowned, walking slowly through the trees he had just been racing through, calling out for Ruby and Slate a few times before he gave it up. In all the times he had tried to get away from them he had never actually succeeded and now that he had he didn't think he liked it. It was dark and getting colder and now as he looked around the swampland and moved from one piece of land to another he wasn't sure which way was the right way to get back home. All the trees and marshy chunks of land looked the same so how was he supped to tell one from another?

He suddenly remembered a lesson he had been taught and his head suddenly tipped back so that his two-toned gaze could look up toward the sky above him. It was a little cloudy, but as the clouds drifted through he could see the stars that were hiding behind them. He wracked his brain, trying to remember what it was he was supposed to be looking for, and even once he remembered it still took him a little bit to find the pattern in the stars that he was looking for. At the time when his parents taught him how to tell what direction he was facing by the stars and which ones to follow to get back home he thought they were being ridiculous since he wasn't even allowed to go that far from home, but in this instance it was coming in handy. Apparently parents knew what they were talking about or something.

Sitri finally spotted what he was looking for as he looked up through the trees and he carefully turned and double checked the stars he was following before he started walking forward again toward what he hoped was the way back home. He had to be a little more careful hopping over the stretches of water now since it was dark so he wasn't making it back as quickly as he had gone out before. He kept double checking the sky, so afraid that he had gotten it wrong and had somehow managed to get himself turned around again and was going the wrong way entirely. He tried to just trust his memory on what he was supposed to be following, but it was hard and kind of scary.

Eventually he heard a voice calling his name and he perked up with a little gasp, pinpointing the sound and taking off toward it, dodging the swampland brush and trees as he went until finally he broke through a cluster of shrubbery and found his father standing there on the other side with Slate beside him. "Dad!" he called out as he ran over to where Plague was standing, his father turning toward him and scooping him up into a tight hug. Of course he was soon bombarded by scolding from him, Ruby, and Slate, all of them complaining and chastising him for running off and hiding, but he was just happy that he managed to make it back to them and he didn't get lost in the swamps forever.

WC: 919

"Sitri Abraxas-Destruction"