The wind whispers. It’s delicate fingers pulling at the silky strands of fur that were stained red. Galaxy eyes looked out from hooded lids. She gazed as if in a daze, watching the world go by. She was lone, yes, but in reality. She’d spent more of her life this way then with the company of others. Children grown and gone, she was alone, she knew it in her heart. White paws hung over the edge of the water, not touching, but close enough. She was quiet, yes, but she would rather be quiet than in the midst of chaos. Life had been hard enough these years, and she was feeling her age start creeping up into her bones. They hurt, especially during the winter, boy did they hurt. She couldn’t wait as spring was getting warmer and warmer, and she knew soon the basking glow of the sun in summer would warm her bones.

She supposed a den and mate would help that too, another’s heat to keep her warm at night when the temperature drops. She can’t remember the last conversation she had with another. She knew most thought she was a crazy loner. She wasn’t crazy, no, more Shy then anything. She would rather spend her time doing what mattered to her then what mattered to anyone else. She looked out at the grassy island in the middle of the lake, it had always been her favorite spot, but today she was not feeling up to the swim, not today. Today she’d relax in the soft glow of the spring sun, it’s subtle heat beating down on her white and russet speckled fur. She stretched, her soft head lifting over the dandelions that were growing at the edge of the water. They were pretty, yes, but her nose itched and she knew if she didn’t move her head she’d sneeze. But she wasn’t too worried.

She heard the birds in the trees, the frogs in the water. The splash of the fish that were swimming by. It was pleasant, and for once, she wondered what she was still doing here. It had been her home since she was born, the meteor, all the horrors she went through in her life, she didn’t know what her purpose was to still be hanging around, maybe it would make itself known to her soon, because she was feeling so lost. So lost.