Time always seemed to escape the woman lately. She had journeyed far from home, zig-zagging back and forth between small bands of families and friends who had managed to scrape a life together out there in the unclaimed lands. She felt as if they had pitied her and that's why they let her stay for so long. It was done and over with, so she couldn't really dwell on it now. Besides, her legs were getting tired. Was she close yet?

Close to where, exactly, she didn't know but she would recognize the place when she came across it.

But before the wolf could reach the cool embrace of a patch of nearby trees, another creature burst from a hole in the ground, spitting madly at her. A lean, ragged-looking tom cat, one ear split into two parts. "These are my tunnels, I recommend you get the hell outta here, old geezer. If you're looking for somewhere to rest, keep moving." he grumbled at her.

The wolf halted, narrowing her eyes at him. "You mean to tell me that you live in this hole? Can't say that I blame you but with my vision being so poor these days, I wouldn't choose that." Hah, now he just looked annoyed. She moved to start past him but he blocked her way.

"Are you one of those ones from the clans or whatever they're called?" he asked, ears flattening against his head in suspicion.

Now it was her turn to be suspicious, wary. What did this male know about her clans? "Why do you ask?"

"I've seen them coming this way before, and I thought that I'd seen you with them a few times."

The elder tilted her head, thinking. Maybe this could be her chance to start over. Have a shot at a new life, no matter how old she was. "I might have been, a while back."

The male studied her, taking in a quiet breath. "Did you get lost?" he inquired, to which the woman gave the reply of: "No, no, I always knew where I was."

She sounded amused and brushed past the tom, making a break for the trees and shade. The cat from the tunnels watched her go, tail twitching lightly. He shook his head then, and after seeing that she had left, he bounded back into his dark world of damp caves.


Dusk was falling as the woman continued, heading up a hill and farther into lands that looked vaguely familiar. Or maybe it just reminded her of home. These lands didn't smell much like anything of home, but there was a mountain so maybe it was the mountain she had grown so used to. Was she where she needed to be yet? This sure didn't look like The Rift or the Rebellion of Terminus. The old canine slowed until her movement ceased entirely, glancing around. She might not be able to see the best anymore but she could smell and hear, and what she was picking up was that she was near a scent border, cause it reeked of an actual group and not just a band of friends.

Maybe she'd been here before. She couldn't remember.

"speech"