my blood is a flood of rubies

precious stones

weather should have been so simple to comprehend, even blind. however, sariel was constantly puzzled by the thing. and not for any wrong reason - she could not see the sky in order to tell when it was day or night, she could not see dark storm clouds or the bright sun. relying on the changes in the smell of the wind only got her so far and more than once had she been stuck in a den, waiting for rain that never came. sleep was even worse - she slept when she was tired and sometimes could be found wandering aimlessly into the long night, completely awake. despite the incidents she stumbled into (“i’m very sorry for falling into your den sir, i really didn’t mean to - no sir, i don’t want to hurt your children”) she often found herself more mentally refreshed on those nights.

she does not try to be awake at nights, but it turns out that her strolls are constantly lit by the moon. this is where we find her tonight - paws crunching snow and pelt puffed against the wind, thankful again for the thickness of her coat. sariel’s head is tipped back and she inhales the sharpness of winter with a wave of delight. winter has always been a favored season, despite what it brought to most, and she finds herself pleased to be out. the cold has chased others into their dens and it leaves the night silent and peaceful.

her thoughts a touch jumbled and she tries to ease them out into thoughts she can make sense of as she walks. there are certain things she knows would be beneficial to her - joining a pack, for one - but she honestly lacks the desire to do such a thing at this moment. she eases out of those thoughts and into the ones about people she’s met - mostly from the previous year, so she quickly discards those and unknots the ones about wolves she’s met this year until her head is cleared and she can let the silence fill her with peace.

she finds her paws on well-tread, long grass and the sound of lazy water filling her ears. sariel settles onto her haunches there, lifting one paw to rub her chilled nose for a moment. setting her paw down again, she stares blindly out at the river, contented.

402 WORDS || CREATED BY MOMO || LONER || UNBOUND || UNTOUCHED ©