Muddy River — [AW] The Other Kind Of Bark

◊ let it water a parched throat with warm summer rain ◊

Snapdragon had gotten very good at setting emotional reactions aside for later. It was a habit any lone wolf could only benefit from— succumbing to panic or frustration in the heat of the moment led to costly mistakes. It didn't feel very terribly about the possibility of its mother being dead. In all honesty, Snapdragon had come to understand that it was most likely, and indeed most favorable, if it were to outlive its mother. Being prone to elaborate forays of thought, it had already considered the grief that seemed inevitable. Of course, Snapdragon had never considered the inverse scenario, where it died before its mother, and became the thing to grieve... ah, there was another thought to consider. But later. Grief and mortality could be put on hold for some other, quieter time. These moments with its sibling were rare and precious, and not to be wasted.

"Unfortunate. But somehow I doubt our mother would be caught unaware by a flood, no matter how torrential... and I think we can safely assume that if we came to this world, it is also possible to return." Girding its metaphorical loins, Snapdragon cast about for a more palatable topic. "Have you been in this world very long, then? I've only been here about a season, myself, and all of that spent in Verdantis territory. Have you found any proper plateaus? The nearest equivalent I've seen is Cloud Bend, but gravity there is too cheeky for leisure flying." Snapdragon's wings buzzed, prickling with the winter chill that currently made flying less than leisurely no matter the location.