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She'd thought all of the talk had been promising, but Andara had been walking for days and she had yet to come across another pack. The Ethiopian girl's heart sank with each further step, each moment becoming more agonizing as she felt the knot in her stomach grow tighter. She needed to eat again already, but she just had to go a bit farther. Nothing but her instincts told her that she would come upon something soon, but she trusted them nonetheless.
The rust-colored girl wasn't frail; she'd managed to catch enough small prey along the way to keep her strong, and several times she'd been taken in by a kind stranger for the night. They always fed her if they could, and some offered hot meals which she enjoyed even more. One had given her the cloak. It wasn't hard for Andy to find rodents to eat, but they had a lot of bones, and not a lot of meat, and she was always hungry again right after eating one. Every day she became more frustrated that she wasn't just bigger. If she was bigger, her mouth and teeth would be too, and she wouldn't be so hungry.
A thick brown cloak shrouded her small body, leaving only her head visible as she stepped through the strange wilderness. Bright lilacs swerved hungrily, taking in all of the scenery as she moved. Ethiopia had been nothing like this, and the view at sea was most often monotonous, blue water that went on forever. Around her were trees for some miles, and then later a valley, and then farther on still was a lake, vast and still. It was here that she chose to rest.
Andara carried little with her; the cloak only had a few pockets, and she had nowhere else to store any other belongings. Besides, there wasn't much that she did need. The young girl didn't know how to make a fire, though, and that was a comfort that she often wished for on those windy, chilly nights that she'd grown to know. Her fur and frame was not made for colder climates, and though the days tended towards warmth, it was later that she needed it.
Now, though, it was daytime. The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly in the clearing by the lake, and Andy slipped out of the fabric that covered her, happy to feel the rays on her skin again. Andara liked to think that she had passed childhood urges months ago, but even still she couldn't help but splashing around in the shallows. Lilac eyes quickly noticed the fish scurrying away as she ran past, and it was only then that she stopped playing. Dinner, she thought, reminding herself of her hunger as she stilled her posture, not moving a muscle. It was only a matter of time before one came close enough.
Moments later, a loud splash marked her triumph, and Andara held a wriggling fish tight between her claws. They were fast, but she was faster. Sometimes their slime got the best of her, but not this time. Happy with her catch, she rushed back to land with it. A small dagger was the only weapon she carried, and it was just as much a tool. She wasn't a picky eater, but the scales always got in between her teeth. Quietly, she began shaving the scales off of her catch, wondering what the evening held for her.
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