The oasis was now a forbidden place in her mind. Her encounter in the weeks prior had terrified her enough that it was now considered as dangerous as anything away from the desert that she knew so well. Now that Braith didn’t have access to the oasis, however, there was really only one place for water that she could rely on outside of what little hydration she got from eating cacti.
So, she spent this morning carefully making her way down into the canyon. Since fleeing from the snake-tongued giant, Braith had come to the canyon almost every other day. Of course, she still hunted for her food through cacti, bugs, and the bodies of small creatures that were left to rot or for the vultures mainly in the Badlands, but Braith had no home. She wandered and sought shelter from the heat wherever she could without laying down any claim to the dirt and sand that were perpetually stuck between her toes.
When the sight of the small, shallow river came into view, her pace quickened until she made it to the water’s edge. The small wolf looked around carefully first before she took her time hydrating. Anytime the wind shifted, she tensed. Every time little rocks fell from the canyon’s side, she looked up, ready to bolt. The canyon didn’t have much prey, but that didn’t mean she was completely alone. And if recent experiences were any example, Braith felt as if she was a prime target. She may not have been large in stature and her darker coat warmed up way too fast in the heat of the sun, but she was nothing if not resilient and dedicated to finding the best hiding spots wherever she went.
When some rocks fell from the canyon’s side nearby, her body tensed once more. A larger clump of rocks than normal came crashing down at the canyon’s base. In what she felt was a completely reasonable pace, Braith did what she knew she must. She ran and hid. The shrubs may have been scarce, but there were plenty of hiding spots between them and other larger stones. Braith waited in timid silence as she slowly peeked out from behind the large rock and shrub she settled between and barely took a breath as she waited to see if anything living came to the area in response to the rockslide. Maybe someone had caused the rocks to fall in the first place. Braith didn’t know and, if she could help it, she most certainly didn’t want to get caught by them if she was right. The last visitor she had met kept coming back to her in nightmares. She didn’t want a repeat of that situation.
ooc: