08-06-2011, 06:00 PM
360 words
The long trek home had left her with a strange wistful feeling which Caspa was determinedly trying to quash as she power-walked back to the Miracles borders. She knew from all her recent practicing that this particular deep-seated bad mood, that knot of mysterious and inexplicable resentment in her stomach, was one of the worst barriers to a perfectly still and focused mind. She counted steps and breaths and timed the two together, and was reaching a state of near-equilibrium when she saw the familiar landmarks of home ahead. Something was strange though - there were odd tracks in the ground leading towards the borders; something large had been this way, with a multitude of strange scents attached.
Intrigued, the tall lady padded along the trail, following it until the caravan and entourage hove into view, simultaneously a surprise and an explanation. Drifting up behind the caravan as if she had arrived with the Cercatori group rather than being a Cour resident, she stood to listen to the introductions of the traders and the welcome Niro offered. She knew the strange pack's smell, knew it must be the nearby group to the North, which was confirmed by its evident leader in the next moment.
Jiva was here with Niro; it amazed her how quickly they grew at his age, he seemed bigger since the beach already. She gave him a tiny wave, not sure if he'd notice. The intrigue of the caravan's arrival had distracted her from her internal knot of bad temper at first, but now she could feel it rising again. She moved around quietly to the side so she could see into the caravan, and her eye was caught by a tiny fluffball of baby chickens. She had never seen anything so small. They almost melted her heart. She found herself suddenly wondering if she owned anything of worth to trade at all. Scanning through her possessions in her mind's eye, Caspa kept back, just offering small and formal nods of greeting to the assembled wolves; no point getting too close yet, all her offerings were back at the hotel anyway.
The long trek home had left her with a strange wistful feeling which Caspa was determinedly trying to quash as she power-walked back to the Miracles borders. She knew from all her recent practicing that this particular deep-seated bad mood, that knot of mysterious and inexplicable resentment in her stomach, was one of the worst barriers to a perfectly still and focused mind. She counted steps and breaths and timed the two together, and was reaching a state of near-equilibrium when she saw the familiar landmarks of home ahead. Something was strange though - there were odd tracks in the ground leading towards the borders; something large had been this way, with a multitude of strange scents attached.
Intrigued, the tall lady padded along the trail, following it until the caravan and entourage hove into view, simultaneously a surprise and an explanation. Drifting up behind the caravan as if she had arrived with the Cercatori group rather than being a Cour resident, she stood to listen to the introductions of the traders and the welcome Niro offered. She knew the strange pack's smell, knew it must be the nearby group to the North, which was confirmed by its evident leader in the next moment.
Jiva was here with Niro; it amazed her how quickly they grew at his age, he seemed bigger since the beach already. She gave him a tiny wave, not sure if he'd notice. The intrigue of the caravan's arrival had distracted her from her internal knot of bad temper at first, but now she could feel it rising again. She moved around quietly to the side so she could see into the caravan, and her eye was caught by a tiny fluffball of baby chickens. She had never seen anything so small. They almost melted her heart. She found herself suddenly wondering if she owned anything of worth to trade at all. Scanning through her possessions in her mind's eye, Caspa kept back, just offering small and formal nods of greeting to the assembled wolves; no point getting too close yet, all her offerings were back at the hotel anyway.