Her home. Her world. Gone in split second. The kill that she had that day had been laying in a patch of mushrooms that was unknown to her. Before she knew it, her head was spinning and her momentum was slowed and wobbly. Visions and hallucinations raided her brain. She was seeing her father every place she looked and she just couldn’t get away from him. He was nipping at her heels though she was running as fast as she could. Miles flew past as well as hours. She couldn’t stop or he’d kill her. When she thought she lost him, he’d appear out of thin air. Her uncoordinated running soon became steady and her head became clear again. But, oh was she far from home. No more were the sandy shores of her lake or the rocky slopes of her mountain. Athena was in the vast plains miles and miles away from Lore. Her heart pounded against her chest and the worst migraine came over her. Her legs trembled and she had to lie down before she collapsed. “Where am I,” she wondered, her fiery eye looking around at the endlessgrassland that she had found herself in.
That was right before the Swiftland Clan healer had found her. He had watched herenter the grassland and continued until Athena had settled in the grass from exhaustion. Weeks passed before the healer would let her leave, though she thought she’d be fine to travel back to Vesper. The healer kept a tight watch on her, guards posted outside her den at all times to prevent her escape. Despite the seeming prison atmosphere, she had made friends in Swiftland while she recuperated from her overdose of mushrooms and extraneous travel that left her barely able to walk. Then Winter came. The worst winter the grassland she was in had ever seen. When the snow melted and travels would be safe for her, a hunting accident left her hurt and in the healers paws once again. She swore on the Heavens that they wouldn’t let her get back to her pack or more importantly Vespertio. The Heavens were cruel to her, but eventually time went by and she was healed once again. It was tough to leave the grassland as they had treated her so well, but sheneeded to get back to the Lore. That was where her home and heart was.
A couple weeks travel and she could feel the rocky slope of the Dire under her paws. Taking a deep breath, she entered the Lore from the north and headed straight for her lake. Athena didn’t know what would face her when she arrived. Surely her pack thought she abandoned them, but once again the Heavens ripped away what she held dear. Shecouldn’t imagine what Vesper thought or how he was going to react to her coming back. Athena dreaded the thought of what could have happened while she was gone. Hours went by as she climbed through the rocky passes until she finally came upon her rockyledge. Only a few knew of this place and it seemed nobody has passed by here in a long time either. Settling onto her hunches, she gazed out at the horizon. The chilly wind combed through her fur as the sun began to make its decent beneath the horizon line.Her favorite time of day. The colors and sights always managed to take her breath awayno matter how many times she saw this view.