Word Count → 372 :: I made some assumptions in this post, and I tried to rewrite it without them and I just couldn't do it. Also, this could be a thread prompt, if Ata remains focused on her task... and I can think of some clever way she can harass Wanderp while simultaneously planting Thistle.
The coyote god Momoztli was angry with Salsola. What else would explain the misfortune her family had to endure? For so long, Ataxia had thought of the Thistle Kingdom as impenetrable to attacks. No one had trespassed on their land and survived, as far as the girl knew. Now, her father was dead, her brother was being held captive and her mentor Tlanti had left for Eterne. She wondered if the latter had seen the downfall of Salsola somehow, or if she had simply chosen an inconvenient time to leave. The silver-haired girl didn't want to think of Tlanti as a coward who had chosen to run off during Salsola's time of need, and so could only conclude that she had seen something deeply wrong before she left.
Tradition called for sacrifices, and her instinct told her no different. Only, she was fairly sure a simple rabbit or lizard wouldn't do. They needed a canine, perhaps several canines, to sway Momoztli to their side. It was something she would have to suggest to her mother. Ataxia did not have enough experience to trap and capture her own sacrifice, but maybe she could convince Eris to let her help with the ceremony... if she liked the idea, and she didn't see why she wouldn't.
The child's current focus, however, was on uprooting Thistle plants and replanting them outside Tlanti's old residence. It would be hers soon, but now was not the right time to leave her mother. The grief-stricken woman might not take it well, particularly since she would be taking the home of a coyote who was now considered a traitor. Ataxia had ambitions, and she did not want to be seen as emulating her - though it would be true.
The dark hybrid knelt down and picked up a small thistle plant by cupping the roots. Carefully, she placed it into the small hole she had created and patted the soil down around it. Soil had embedded itself beneath her claws, and a sprinkle of dirt had lodged itself into her fur. She was tempted to stop and clean herself, but it would do no good; it would just come back once she started again.
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