everything looks perfect from far away

[Claudius Aston]

For Terra, middle of Ethereal Eclipse. He just passed Springfield, NS. (WC: 405).
[html]

[/html]It was eerie finding a town nestled in the midst of the woods. Since the fall of humanity, the trees had grown and vegetation had taken over most of the towns in the area. Still, it was somehow different to find a town right in the middle of the forest. Claudius thought he could see signs of roads linking it to the outside, but the region he was now in, Ethereal Eclipse, was known for its dense forests and the scarcity of light. It seemed as though he'd found an area where light was permitted (or had been demanded by the humans, he thought), but it creeped him out too much to stay.

Claudius continued eastward as he thought about the humans. He didn't know much about them or why they'd done what they did. Most wolves here seemed to scorn them and their ways, but AniWaya took after them in many ways. Of course, the humans that AniWaya took after were very different from the others, he thought. Much of AniWayan folklore he suspected was the work of human reasoning, but indicated a greater familiarity with nature. The Cherokee humans had not made huge highways into forests: perhaps the way one traveled was the greatest indication of who they were. Claudius thought himself to be a wolf, so he traveled on four legs. It was the quickest method and since he was most comfortable in his lupus form on four legs, he used it -- as was natural to him.

The snow was still thick in the gaps between the trees, but he found evidence of melting. As he moved deeper into the wooded area, the snow became less frequent. In areas with many pine trees, the snow simply could not get through as well, so there were patches of greenery. Although none of the fruit-bearing bushes looked particularly esculent,* Claudius wished he could have taken a bite nonetheless. Even though he didn’t normally survive on berries and vegetation, he was growing tired of the cold winter and was excited for spring to begin so he could start collecting plants for his dyes.

After much walking, Claudius paused to consider his surroundings. He’d come this far east, but he still wasn’t sure why he was here. He supposed that he was tired of the tribe and needed to get out and go somewhere, but he still wasn’t sure as to where he was going. The scents in the wind told him that he was nearing the borders of Cour des Miracles, but he wasn’t sure if that was where he even wanted to go. Ah well; he supposed it didn’t matter anyway. He was here and that was good enough for him. He’d turn back soon enough. [html]

[/html]
* Something edible, especially a vegetable.