my spirit doesn’t move like it did before

Her delicate paws carried her along the edge of the ravine as she peered curiously down at the bottom. In her efforts to move past her own mind and put her efforts that felt more constructive and distracting, she had thrown herself full force into covering as much ground as she could though these lands that were still so fresh and new to her. She was absorbing the scenery like a sponge and learning every inch of the intriguing area. It helped to tire her out enough that when night rolled around she was usually tired enough to get past the nightmares and woke up rested enough to keep going. Her exploration and learning the land felt therapeutic in a way, as if she was finally indulging this side of her that had been beaten down for so long... But she knew that in reality this was only a thin salve for a large, gaping wound.

She found a spot where the ground seemed stable and wound with enough roots that she could easily make her way to the bottom of the ravine. Somehow it felt even warmer and more humid down here than it had at the top and she was already beginning to regret this decision. Tamsyn flexed her toes over the moss that was growing underfoot to feel the odd texture of it against her paw pads. She wandered over to the collection of pools and trickling stream that ran along the ravine, the gentle sound of water filling her ears and adding to the curious ambiance of the whole area. There was at least the added benefit that she was able to get a drink of water while she was down here if nothing else.

Tam lifted her head and let her mint eyes follow the stream up to where it seemed to appear from an underground source of some kind and she let her imagination wander, trying to picture where it came from and how this came to be. She had of course seen underground dens and smaller caves, but... ones big enough to have a river or stream going though them? The world had been blocked of from her for so long and now everything felt so fantastical. It was enough to keep her distracted and not notice the rest of the world or anyone that might be near by. A noise caught her attention and made her nearly jump out of her skin when she realized how distracted she had allowed herself to become. With her fur prickling along her scruff, she turned her eyes away from the stream and the rock formations ahead of her so she could scan the ravine for any signs of who or what made the noise she heard.