Speech

Seraphina slowly made her way into the forest of cedar trees that she knew stood before her and the mountain.  She could not quite see the sun's rays, but the sky was lit up bright pink so Phina knew that dawn was approaching.  She figured that she would reach her destination before nightfall at this pace, but she was in no rush.  The ordeal with her father had certainly changed the she-wolf's perspective about life.  Her overall direction might not have wavered, but she had become much more patient about reaching her goals.  

Seraphina came to a river that cut through the forest, but the sight did not intimidate her.  The sleek, flat rocks that bordered the shallow waters were nothing compared to the giant, wet boulders and powerful current that had surrounded her birth pack.  This was terrain to which she was accustomed.  With an easy stride the tawny she-wolf gracefully glided across the sleek rocks, crossing most of the river this way.  She eventually reached a spot where it became necessary to actually enter the water, but Seraphina was not shy about padding into the creek.  The shallow water lapped at the golden fur on her belly and even the longer, dark brown fur that ran down part of her sides.  Finally she reached the other end of the river.  She bunched her leg muscles, favoring the left leg, and then launched herself onto the nearest rock.  Once she had her paws solidly underneath her lithe form, she shook her pelt dry.  Carefully she maneuvered herself down from the pile of rocks and turned to observe the wound that ran jagged across her left hip.  The gash had sealed, but it was still a serious injury.  Her little climb had aggravated the cut and now she knew she would have to stop and rest for a moment.  

Phina crawled underneath the shelter of one of the tall cedar trees and rested against the trunk.  Delicately she licked the wound and adjusted her hip to a more comfortable position.  The regal woman sighed as she resigned herself to resting for awhile to ensure that she did not reopen the wound. As she took that moment to observe her surroundings, she realized that she was very close to a pack border.  The scent of other wolves was powerful around this area and Phina knew that she was in no condition, or mood, to fight.  However, at that moment recrossing the river was not an appealing idea.  With intelligent brown eyes hastily scanning the surrounding, Phina wondered what the best course of action would be: risk opening the wound in order to put distance between herself and this pack or rest for a bit and hope no one was patrolling the borders this early.