Fireweed Rise the crane wife

<blockquote><ul><span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>blaaaah. I'm just going to pull Ozzie out since I've pretty much lost muse for her/have more threads than I know what to do with. Maybe they can meet up again later? <3
You can post once more (if you want) and then archive it.</li></ul></span>
Niara might have asked for direction, but Ozera knew where they were headed. It hadn't been a question after all. She was being lead back to Swift River. Anxiety bubble in the pit of her stomach, and every step in that hallowed direction brought her more pain and fear. <i>I can't go back. I can't...</i> Ozera was such a weak soul. Her happy facade was a farce, a mask she wore inside and out because she was afraid of her emotions, afraid of facing anything that was difficult. Hadn't she fainted when she thought of Jaysyek? Hadn't she cowered and cried and <i>denied</i> Jasysyek when she finally met her again? Behind her smile was just a pathetic old soul who was afraid to be alive. She couldn't go back to Swift River.

Fear drowned out the sweet words of her too-kind companion. She wasn't listening. She wasn't responding. Confronted with the terrifying nearness of her old home, Ozera began to shrink back into herself. Perhaps this was the cause for her poor memory, the way she ran back into the darkness of her subconscious, to cower and hide, taking every recollection of the world. She couldn't be sad or scared if she didn't remember what she was scared of. And this lovely girl she was walking with —she smelled like home, and so she would have to go too. Gradually, Ozera began to lag behind, and then suddenly she was gone altogether, loping away on three and a half legs even if it pained her.

With every step the anxiety began to fade away, along with all the memories. Pretty soon she began to wonder where she was, although simply wondering brought her the an unnameable sense of comfort.
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<blockquote>She could tell the older wolf was falling behind, but when she slowed to allow her to catch up, she dropped even further back. The tawny wolf was puzzled, but it wasn't her place to force the lady back to the river. <i>Was it?</i> She felt there was something she was missing. Something she didn't know, and the older wolf didn't care to share it so she allowed her to drift further and further back until she was gone.

Naira was worried. The other wolf had obviously been in pain, and while her stores were back at the River, perhaps she should have offered to run and fetch them instead of bringing the other wolf along with her. She contemplated gathering what she required and returning to track Ozera down but thought better of it. She didn't want to force herself on the stranger. She would have to ask one of the other River wolves about the peculiar wolf when she got home.</blockquote>