[AW] Throw Me A Bone

Bicolored eyes stared at the desolate land around her. Searching for answers, seeking an spiritual tug on where to go. How did she get here? Which path led to this place and what exactly rested beyond this wasteland? She couldn't say, but those questions danced on the tip of her tongue. She only knew somehow her tired paws brought her here, and the here was cold, barren and messy. The patches of mud that hadn't frozen from the Winter air left an uncomfortable feeling between her white toes. At first she tried to avoid occasional spots of soft ground, but after awhile it seemed pointless. The fur around her paw pads were already caked in the substance. Avoiding more of it only made the walk longer.

Frost lingered here and there, but just barely. Enough to lick in disappointment at best when she tried to satisfy her growing thirst... And food? The area didn't reek of hunting grounds... Unless one didn't mind scavenging, but what little she found was spoiled for far too long and the rancid musk of decomposed flesh... If it wasn't already a stack of pathetic bones.

Perhaps to other creatures this was a beautiful land but not to Heliana. The canine knew beauty when she saw it. She grew up in a land that was plentiful. This was not it. Not even the birds sang in these parts aside from the occasional passing crow. Though, as much as she wished she hadn't stumbled into this land, ugly places were just as important. As one of her aunts would say, "It's after gloomy days that one can best savor the greatness in life". She only hoped this was her gloomy moment. To set off for adventure and end up in endless miles of harsh living and sadness... Well, let's just say it wasn't the adventure she dreamed of.

As worried as she was on the inside, she kept her composure externally. Eventually her muddy paws were once again on the move. Her gait happy and hopeful. If you believe something long enough, it'll happen. Won't it?

All is answered in their own time. To climb up, one must first be down... I am down. Wherever down is. So... Up is just up ahead! 

Legs paused their walk as her gaze shifted to the thick clouds that blanketed the early morning sky.

Sacred Flame, Holy Light that provides and warms the bones of all, please lead me.

Heliana continued to pray mentally before looking forward and walking again. "What do you want me to see next?" Hours later she deemed the whispered question as answered when she noticed looming trees. The branches bare and the length of the trunks massive. Hardly a comforting pair, these trees in such a land, but in need of a rest and still thirsty, the canine sat underneath one of them. Her body pressed against the base of the trunk as she watched nothing in particular in eerie silence. "Please, let the path lead to a place with water... Or something that is edible. A drink of blood... Even old blood would be a blessing if I can't have water." Though, what if the next land was worse?

She shook her head at the thought as she curled between two exposed roots and prayed herself to sleep. When she awoke it would be better. It just had to be. She was sure of it.