Aurelia
A few weeks after her stay with Mildew, and some days before she would inevitably seek out Jack, Aurelia set out - but not for the Ahi Coastline. Shifted, she's able to navigate the wilds far better {and faster} than she would if she tried this in her natural form. She spends most of the trip as a tiger, half-loping, half-swimming out of the Feverlands. Occasionally the red panda comes in handy, as it always does. For the most part, she keeps close to the coastline, letting it guide her steps all the way to the Boondocks.
Once there, she slows down the pace to concentrate on what she can find. She manages to catch a faint whiff and latches onto it as best she can, even if the scent trail is scattered and stale.
Travelling further inland now, she sticks to cover. Her stripes blend easily into the shadows cast by the setting sun, and she uses that to her advantage to go unnoticed by any nearby wildlife.
It's when the trail leads her to a small cabin that she realizes she was on the right track. Stopping just at the edges of the yard, only her front paws out of the foliage into a pile of snowmelt, she peers around, taking it all in.
She swallows heavily before opening up her end of the Attuned bond, or at least just enough to communicate.
Sunjata? Are you here? There's a hopeful tone in her voice as she steps further into the open, into a patch of sunlight.
Even in her shifted form, she doesn't exactly look... healthy. The evening light illuminates the slight jut of her ribs and hip bones, and her orange fur is stained with clumps of mud. Her eyes, too, still have a faded and glassy look.
It's true that Mildew helped her. The witch brought her back to health and kept her from dying out there in the swamps. But a complete recovery from emaciation, severe infection, and the loss of one's self... that takes time. The trip to King's End at least, in part, proved to her that she was making strides. That she was still strong enough.
Once there, she slows down the pace to concentrate on what she can find. She manages to catch a faint whiff and latches onto it as best she can, even if the scent trail is scattered and stale.
Travelling further inland now, she sticks to cover. Her stripes blend easily into the shadows cast by the setting sun, and she uses that to her advantage to go unnoticed by any nearby wildlife.
It's when the trail leads her to a small cabin that she realizes she was on the right track. Stopping just at the edges of the yard, only her front paws out of the foliage into a pile of snowmelt, she peers around, taking it all in.
She swallows heavily before opening up her end of the Attuned bond, or at least just enough to communicate.
Sunjata? Are you here? There's a hopeful tone in her voice as she steps further into the open, into a patch of sunlight.
Even in her shifted form, she doesn't exactly look... healthy. The evening light illuminates the slight jut of her ribs and hip bones, and her orange fur is stained with clumps of mud. Her eyes, too, still have a faded and glassy look.
It's true that Mildew helped her. The witch brought her back to health and kept her from dying out there in the swamps. But a complete recovery from emaciation, severe infection, and the loss of one's self... that takes time. The trip to King's End at least, in part, proved to her that she was making strides. That she was still strong enough.
keep your face always toward the sunshine
and shadows will fall behind you
and shadows will fall behind you
