not to worry! i love your writing style already aa //

mind buried in affairs far from the present, absent were the steps of the sage as they traversed the land, following scent trails without thought, eyes on the path beneath their paws. fleeting their memories, entangled in those before them, the situations of their group burdening their mind, thoughts entwined in the bodies of the dead and lost, their own loved ones among those who had lost their battle with the frost and cold. exhaling heavily, they would take a corner, narrowly avoiding a collision with a tree, causing them to shake their head and sit down. resting their head against the tree before them, the zheng would curl their tails close to themself with a quiet sound, closing their eyes and allowing their mind to be emptied of all the painful and distracting thoughts, yearning to feel the earth's heartbeat beneath them once again. it had been far too long since they had felt the earth as they once had, once having been able to speak to the earth and ask it to move to their guidance.

feeling much like a child lost without their parents, the beast would sigh heavily, ears laying flat to their skull as they forbade the feelings of loneliness to claw up their limbs and to their brain. they would be fine, they had been this far, and they would continue to do so, until they could regain their lost abilities. scars aching upon their form, the zheng would remain seated there, meditating for some time, chasing memories of the phantom feelings dancing through their toes and pads, sorely remembering the echo of earth racing along their nerves, feeling truly alive when so connected with their element. silence would pass around them, birds flitting above and squirrels bounding along the boughs of snow-laden trees and bushes. finding peace in their environment, they settled their uneasy heart, getting to their paws once more, shaking snow from their fur, stretching into a downward bow with a mighty yawn, toes outstretched with talon-like scimitars peeking from their sheaths.

picking a random path, the creature would depart, deciding upon the option to simply survey those around them, to check on those who were in the open, to hear the voices of the members who called this land their home. following the path, would they drift past huts of stone and wood, nodding and giving soft greetings, sharing words of comfort and peace with those who stopped them to talk. laughing softly with some, would they walk unknowingly, their path leading them to one of fate. instincts too late to prevent a collision, the massive beast would blink, feeling the hard push of a body against their own, head turning to their left to see the ebony felidae recoiling from their collision with a blustery snarl, words sharp on their tongue as they addressed the one that they had collided with. blinking away their own surprise, they gave a flick of their tails, conversation partner taking the chance to turn tail and run off. turning to better face the other, would they give a sheepish smile, head turned slightly to the side, "my apologies, i was caught in an engaging conversation. are you alright?", they themselves had been rather unaffected by the direct blow, weight greater than the speed at which the collision had happened. as tall as they were, they would hope they were heavy enough to withstand a blow like that, or they would be in dire need of feeding.