There were no more words left to describe the deep ache in her heart, or how hollow she felt or how betrayed she was. Yes, perhaps once she had brought this same plight upon herself, by leaving her home--not Moladion, as it was, but this vast land encompassed within the fitting of a sparse few clusters of trees and greenery--but then, the emotions had felt more severe. Now, there was just... nothing. Then, she'd known (or thought, because shortly after those thoughts she had been proven wrong) that no one had cared for her. Now, she knew that maybe, at some point, there was a chance that at least one other lupine had had some sort of feeling. He had led her to believe it was love, but then why would he leave? It was different, now. She felt somewhat betrayed. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone; it was hard even telling herself as such.
It felt as though there was a heavy weight splayed over her shoulders and she could not shrug it off. Cas didn't think she had even a shred of energy left to climb the looming structure with its gray crags and its ice covered surface glistening in the midday sun. She could not see to the top, even, because the peaks were so shrouded in a hazy mist that was impossible to penetrate with one's naked gaze. Cas trekked aimlessly at the base of the Mountain, hastily dodging other wolves and all the while wondering when she had become this antisocial, broken little girl who moped and sulked over someone who was no longer there. It was long ago she stopped trusting he would return.
There was a thick loop of trees running along the Mountain's edges, and it was often overlooked in favor of the main attraction itself. She wasn't sure how many wolves stopped to pay attention to this place, teeming with wildlife and things unknown. Perhaps that curiosity was one of the only things she retained from long ago. That, and a strange behavior pertaining to her dislike of stepping on twigs. A vague memory of her father came back to her mind, and Cas felt a shudder drift involuntarily down her spine. Distracted as she was, padding around the thick trunk of a particularly large tree, she did not care to notice anyone else taking part in activities in that area.
Cas yelped in shock as she stepped into the path of a red, running blur and collided with it (she wasn't really able to decipher the gender at that point, mind racing as it was). A very familiar bone structure was pressed against hers and dark eyes flashing, lip lifting somewhat, Cas forced herself away from him--his name not spoken, even in her mind--and managed to glance up into his topaz stare. "I apologize," she muttered faintly, ears pressing back to her skull as she took long steps to skirt around and away from him.
CASTEL;