She was nearing a year old and while her siblings were off finding themselves, she still felt lost. While she actually spent most of her time with the adults, she really never let herself go out and have fun. How much trouble could she get into if she traveled a bit north for a few days? Her brother Tachi had left not long before her on his own little adventure, why not do the same?

Gathering up her courage, the plum and cherry-colored girl set off in a northeastern direction from the maze. With a small satchel of herbal remedies strapped around her shoulders, it put her worries at ease as she passed through the dragon's blood grove and the ancient oaks. These familiar surroundings weren't much for her to stop and investigate until the trees began to gather closer together and more gnarled. Shadows lengthened and spooky noises echoed behind her. Urging her to quicken her pace until the trees spread out once more, she was welcomed with a heady scent of cedar.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and toss beams of glistening rays through boughs as she slowed her pace. Slightly winded and tired from lack of sleep, Rheum followed a creek further northeast until the rumble of a waterfall caught her attention. Both ears flicked forward as her brilliant yellow eyes searched for the roar of cascading water. Faintly, at the edge of her scent as her nose twitched, she could smell a pack but their scent was fading quickly. Odd to her that someone would want to leave such beautiful lands, Rheum was glad she could wander freely.

Approaching the falls, she stopped in her steps to admire the scenery. Water droplets splashed against her chest and cheeks as she stepped closer. Beneath her, the ground was a soft bed of grass, tender between her sore toes as she leaned over the edge of the pool that lie at the bottom of the falls. Distracted by the sudden shimmer of her reflection beneath her, she was caught off guard by the jump and plop of fish attempting to make their way up the stepping falls. Amazed once more, Rheum took a few more steps back so she could investigate more of her surroundings.

Word Count: 381/1500

After the storm, she had returned to her den promptly to stash the extraordinary fauna she had found in its wake. But instead of sticking around for any period of time, she had come to the decision to get back out again. That perhaps a similar event might happen in another location- it was wishful thinking and she knew it. But this time around, she worked her way a little south east east of the garden. No particular reason, other than it had been a while since she had been out this way. The breathless hush of water joining rocks echoed in the distance. It wasn’t as roaring as the falls that her den was near. This was far less intrusive. It added a more gentle ambiance to the wood, and as a point of interest, it called to her.

Even in the bone chill of winter, there was still plenty of greenery. The air hung heavy with the scent of evergreen, perfumed by the array of cedar, spruce, and pine. Her view was easily concealed as she wove her way through the thick density of temperate forest. But in her persistence, she eventually broke through the tree line near the base of the falls. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light glinting off the water, but when they did, she was quick to take in the beauty of the scenery. That, and the feminine frame of a ruby toned fae already at the water’s edge. Wanting to be respectful of her space, she cleared her throat to speak. “Very pretty here,” Kiliaen acknowledged. She gave the younger lady a casual distance in a shallow arch as she found a spot for herself slightly further downstream.

Kiliaen didn’t hesitate as she came to the water’s edge. Leaning down, she lapped at the fluid surface. The curvature of her tongue influenced a disturbance of rings that were dispersed in the natural movement of the stream. Getting her fill, she would straighten up only to gently recline to her haunches. From her positioning downwind, she was met with a scent she didn’t intimately recognize- but was aware of no less. Of the strange girl of course, but from what Kili could tell, she was from the southern Auster pack. But just as she made that realization, she made another one as well. The scent of the eastern pack on the breeze was a lot fainter than what she remembered it being. They weren’t far from Fenymre’s territory. The autumn fae couldn’t help but wonder if the two occurrences correlated. “I wonder what’s happening at Fenymre …” The words rolled off her tongue before she had put much thought into them. However, it was an echo of her thoughts- a musing aloud more than anything else.

Word Count: 849/1500

Thankful that Auster's winters were not as harsh as what Boreas winters were described to her as, Rheum still let a light shiver roll down her spine. Even this far north from the confines of the maze, there was an obvious shift in temperature. A chilly breeze wafting through the pine and cedar trees brought with it the scent of someone else. Unworried about the approach of soft paw steps nearby, Rheum was content to watch the fish jump and jump up the falls to their next destination.

Most of the time, she enjoyed the territory in which her family lived. The maze was cozy and bountiful, as was the bay with its shimmering ocean water and sandy shores. Yet, as she glanced around the towering trees, the thorny bushes, and clusters of birds that watched her from tree limbs, she wondered if maybe there was somewhere else she belonged. So far, from what she had seen of Auster, she enjoyed the variety. From the carved stones to the brimstone lake to the crumbling building that stood not far from here.

It was then that the feminine voice of the other caught her attention with a swivel of an ear. A placid smile lifted at the edge of her lips as she responded with a gentle nod. "Quite," Rheum responded, her yellow gaze shifting to look over at the other female who was keeping her distance for now. Watching silently as the girl approached the water's edge to take a drink, Rheum stayed put where she was. Content to admire from a few feet away as the pool continued to splash droplets along the shore, Rheum's attention was piqued once more.

"Fenmyre?" Her accented voice, a mixture between her mother's language and her uncle's Japanese, made the pack's name sound sort of odd, but understandable. "I have been told they disbanded," she pauses then as she looks from the pondering girl to the falls that the pack of Fenmyre once called home. "Why I do not know, but they no longer reside here," Rheum's shoulders shrug as she finally approaches the pool's edge. Leaning down to take a drink of her own, she let out a quiet but pleasing gasp. "The water is so refreshing. I can see why they enjoyed it here," her lips curl into a smile again as she looks at the stranger.

Word Count: 1245/1500

At her friendly, casual observation of the beauty in their surroundings, she was met with a simple response. Small talk wasn't for everyone, so she wasn't going to pressure the younger girl to talk if she didn't want to. But when she mused aloud to the fading scent of Fenmyre, it seemed that the maroon fae had more to divulge. "Disbanded?" Kiliaen echoed a little more softly. Just loud enough that she could hear herself over the tumble of water in the background. Just as she was preparing herself to ask why her question was answered before she could even ask it. "That's so strange," she remarked in a tone of confusion.

Looking around the falls, she was met with such serene beauty. It was difficult to put into words, but the ambiance just brought a sense of peace. The surface of the river that was fed by the falls, dappled in the daylight that trickled through the canopy overhead. And while the falls contributed towards a busy atmosphere, she could only imagine that the further downstream you went, the more the current slowed, and the more lazy the creek became. And to simply abandon that? How could an entire pack just disband like that? It puzzled her. "Yes, everything about it here is lovely. I couldn't imagine why they would leave. But who's to say?" Kiliaen finally replied after her moment's contemplation. She didn't know much about the lost pack, only what she heard in stories from the occasional passerby. But now that they were gone, she was really interested in their story now. Maybe one day, she would learn it. 

Word Count: 1517/1500