Coming back was suppose to kill the awful tension in her gut. Instead it was multiplied. If she had returned to the world upside down. Evy was not about. Cel was a recluse, and she hadn't formerly spoken to Takis as she wanted. It pinched her to feel like this stranger among the mountain. Each day she had to fight the urge to get away.
This morning with air crisp, an overcast of gray, and her duties attended to, she gave herself permission to slip down the hillside. Down into the depths of the Lore, where she sought somewhere quiet. Undisturbed. With a steady trot she tried to find such a place. All the while reflecting on this change in her life. Her new position as leader. It felt wrong. This wasn't how she had wanted to lead the pack. This wasn't how she wanted to be looked upon. A place holder just because there was no one else. There was something darker to it. She was starting to really wonder if it was cursed. There simply should be no lead female, and she would vanish with the others when the time came. Why she could grin, and shake her head at the silly thought. It did not fully leave, it followed her. Making her think of her mother. Making her wonder if she should have simply asked Takis to come with her with an excuse to hunt. The idea in mind for another time, she kept her pace.
Well into afternoon the tawny wolf traveled further than she had in a while. Feeling some of the weight upon her, ease back. Diligently, despite not feeling hungry her nose checked for prey. It was by following the trail of a rabbit she came into the dead woods. There black and gray bodies were eerie in the white stark of the snow. The small trees had yet to surpass the dead, and reclaim the grounds. What bothered her most was she could barely hear the sound of a creek in the distance. It surely appeared to be the quiet, and lonely place she had been looking for. Why did it make her hair stand on the back of her neck? Why did it seem familiar?