The rain finally let up mid-afternoon, leaving the soggy ground heavy with puddles of mud. Autumn leaves still scattered the bases of trees, their paling branches growing emptier by the day. The air was cool, not as chill as it had been the previous night, but not as warm as the unobstructed sunlight should have provided. Colibri Haki stepped lightly, trying to gracefully avoid the wet patches as she traversed her homelands.
Thoughts had been weighing heavily as of late; she had made up her mind to leave Dahlia for good, but had taken few steps towards doing so. She had promised Anu, time and again, and yet she kept dithering and coming up with excuses why she hadn't told her leaders yet. It was hard. She was not overly happy here, not when the wolves she had grown to trust kept leaving. It was hard to live in Deuce's empty cabin and walk past Henratha's greenhouse every day. But still, the prospect of telling Cercelee that she was abandoning her friend after this long... or the thought of deserting in Haku's eyes... it terrified her. And she didn't know Cwmfen well enough to turn to her guidance, and here she was, back where she started.
Sighing, the willowy werewolf padded into a clearing, the sun's weak light washing her rich brown fur a pale hue. She had family here she cared about, too. Conor. Emwe. Mew. They weren't going anywhere. And if she had any inkling to Haku's reactions toward deserters, she would not be allowed to visit them once she was sworn in to Crimson Dreams. Actually... she had not spoken to Auntie Mew in quite some time. She had been hoping to visit over the summer, but Anu had occupied her thoughts instead. She knew nothing of Lubomir or how their relationship stood, but... now that she was kindling a romance of her own, she would be happy for the girl talk.
There, she was decided! She would seek out her musical aunt and see how she was doing, perhaps for the last time. The thought brought her a pang of sadness, and the young werewolf struggled to brush it aside, raising her muzzle to locate the scent she was seeking. "I wonder if I should bring a gift," she murmured, fiddling with her claws as she moved unhurriedly to look for Mew's den.