Quiet. She needed quiet.

Linnetwing had been pleased to leave her old life. She did so eagerly, enthusiastically, even, with little regard for what might actually be waiting for her out there in the great unknown. She took joy in the change of scenery, even through the trials and tribulations that she and her wandering group of new acquaintances faced. her mind was full of endless optimism for what would surely be a worthwhile and fulfilling journey to start fresh.

but then the days began to drag into weeks, and it began to feel like the clearing they'd settled in wasn't big enough for all of them. linnetwing was always polite, of course, excusing herself when she bumped into others, greeting everyone cordially, and keeping her spirits high, but there were just so many others now. there seemed to her to be no breaks of silence at any time in the new camp, even long into the evening hours. it felt like bugs under her pelt, crawling, incessant, never offering her a moment of peace.

so the molly found herself in the woods skirting the camp relatively often, relishing in the relative peace and quiet the place offered her. of course, the odd voice would often come resounding through the trees, but it was nothing like the bustle of camp. distancing herself from the palpable tension between her new acquaintances took a weight off of her back, and she let her eyes momentarily slip closed as she rounded a tree trunk and sat herself down.

I'M TIRED OF THE SOUND IT MAKES.

WE'RE ON BORROWED TIME ... ❖

the business of camp was distressing at times, even for the elder with his own physical struggles. it felt too humid, with so many bodies around, like a summer's night before a storm broke. he was out and about walking around to try and ease the aching in his lungs, though his whiskers were twitching constantly as the half blind tom used them to sense his direction in the territory, sniffing around as he caught linnetwing's scent, eyes blinking a few times before he paused. he had unknowingly almost stepped on the molly, his path cutting close to her own, before giving a quiet chuckle and small smile, "my apologies, linnetwing. there's so many new scents out here, i didn't realize i was tracking you.", he was still getting used to the smell of these cats, and having half of his sense of smell wasn't helping matters any.