Uncharted Territories [Open!]

[dass]

The bright sunshine glinted off the water of the loch, creating a tantalizing picture of what looked to be a million crystals shimmering their beauty. The lone wolf standing in the shade of the trees that banked the lake held the same ethereal beauty as the picture she was watching. The ripples on the water as the leaves fell to the surface were mesmerizing, a small piece of beauty in this forgotten landscape. Aphrodite, as was the lone wolf’s name, sat on her haunches, and turned her snow white maw to the surrounding landscape, ever watching, ever careful. She was far from her homeland, wherever her homeland truly was. The fact was evident in the lush coat she still bore in the middle of spring, a coat she would not loose. Her wide paws were created to handle snow, and here on this slate rock she was standing on, they looked overly large for her sturdy yet small frame. Her tail, as bushy as the rest of her, swept the ground behind her, an unconscious nervous gesture. She was in a land she did not know, far away from the so called pack she had been born and raised in. She had been traveling for many moons and suns, a hard journey, one laborious enough to tempt even the strongest to turn back to the horror they were running from. Yet, she had persisted, kept running, missing days of sleep, missing countless dinners, and fleeing adversaries she did not even know. One could say she was running from her past, her memories, the haunting nightmares that plagued her sleep. That was what pushed her on, what drove her to continue past the point of exhaustion.

And she was finally here; somewhere she felt she could start anew. Where no one knew her name and no one knew the kind of upbringing she had. She could find a pack here, even though in had been conditioned in her that packs were weak and failing. Crumbling and falling apart. She honestly had no desire to be in a pack, yet she held such a thirst for power that it was her only solution. She desired to be in a position in which she did not have to fear being struck down, she would be the one doing the striking. She would make her stand, and a powerful one it would be. She was loyal to no one, but herself.

Shaking herself from her deep thoughts, Aphrodite rose, graceful as ever and walked to the edge of the lake. The sound of the waterfall roared in her ears, deafening the small noises that would alert a normal wolf to someone’s arrival. Yet, she wasn’t worried. Anyone to strike her back in a cowardly move would deal with something they were not prepared to deal with. She lowered her maw to the crystal clear water, inwardly winching as the ice cold liquid cooled her burning throat. Her stomach rumbled deep and long, reminding her it had been days since she last ate. She ignored it, for now, and turned away from the bank to the ledge of rock that extended over the water. It was a worthy perch, allowing her to see what was around her from a higher vintage point, but also providing enough shrubbery to hide her brilliant white coat from other wolves. She crouched, using her powerful hind legs to launch herself in the air, tucked her front legs under her and reveled in the momentary feel of flying. She landed on all fours, extending her front paws at just the right time to give her a smooth landing. The rock was warm under her as she settled down for a small power nap under the spring sun.