[AW]Calm before the storm

[Neela Garcia]

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AW. For reference the Meria is a fairly large ship, about 35 feet long.

Neela hadn’t found hide nor hair of her family for over a week now and she could almost kid herself into thinking that they had left, that she was safe and could go back to ignoring the past. Almost being the key word here; every now and then when patrolling the border she would catch a hint of her mother's scent, a subtle reminded that the woman was still waiting and watching.

More than this physical evidence was a feeling that had forced itself in the back of Neela's mind. She couldn’t quite put it to words but the closest comparison she could come up with was a feeling of something about to burst, of a storm about to begin. It scared her.

Neela could either panic and spend her time in a haze of paranoia or she could throw herself into everyday life, attempting to lose herself in everyday tasks. Neela had chosen the second and had started renovating her house with a fervour, taking it from liveable to comfortable in the space of a week. The collie had spent so much time and effort into the project that she had actually neglected eating for several days, instead gorging herself intermittedly.

Being more dog than wolf Neela wasn't quite as suited to this style of living as some and so she found herself taking regular trips out to hunt. Today she was feeling lazy so she had instead decided to head down to the docks where she kept the Meria, swiping half a dozen salted fish from a store she kept nearby the ship.

The Meria's new home was much nicer than the ships first resting place; less creepy wrecked boats for one. The house nearby was abandoned and dilapidated on the outside but pleasant to look at on the outside and a basement nearby had been pressed into usage for storing wood, rope and other supplies. A boathouse just big enough for the Meria was easily accessible a couple dozen metres away and the Meria itself was moored to a pier extending out from the front of the house.

Neela was settled in the shadow of her boat near the end of the pier, one paw drifting aimlessly in the water below her and the other holding down a fish as she gently chewed upon it. The collie herself was also looking better, most of Neela's bandages had gone, the wounds on her legs and arms healed into angry red marks that still hurt but no longer bled; only the bandages keeping pressure on her injured ribs remained.

Neela wouldn’t be able to stay here much longer; too long without anything to do and thoughts of her family would catch up with her, but for now she was content to just sit here, enjoying the day and her fish.

Word Count :: +471