a place where i feel at home (solo)

Thalia had lagged behind the rest of her lost Clanmates, in part because it was just so fascinating to be beyond the borders of Clan land once again. This time with no one's orders guiding her paws, she walked freely as she had shortly after Asylum fell- though then she'd drifted along the edges of the forest, searching for home when it had already left. Now she was free to explore, to follow a trail and turn to another, and she had taken her time to enjoy it; perhaps so she wouldn't feel the need to return.

In part, she had taken her time to search for something. She had thought about leaving, taking the chance to chase after the golden horizon of a remade Oasis, but she had pledged her allegiance to ShadowClan, and it would be nothing short of cruel to leave in the wake of such a disaster. She would miss ShadowClan, too- they were a home to her, still. The material things that had made it her home were gone now, flowers drowned in the flood and- to her devastation- her fox-fur washed away.

But she wasn't the cat who had caught it anymore, and she could let go of a promise that would never be fulfilled in this lifetime. Perhaps in the next she would be lucky enough to find Katana again, but with each day she knew that she wasn't coming back.

Thalia wasn't injured, or at least not seriously, and it was a blessing that she wasn't. She had been caught off-guard by a fox while gathering flowers as she slowly her way toward the Clans, and while she had just barely dodged its first attack it was all too easy to recall her training. She had learned restraint in her time as a warrior, but let that thought go; a fox was a threat once it attacked, and she would protect herself.

It took some time to remember the steps, so long since she'd gone through the process (or even observed it), but at the end of it she had replaced her fox pelt. It was similar, but not the same- the vibrant red coat was spotted with white, instead of solid, and it wasn't worn as the old one had been.

It was strange, she supposed, to cloak herself in it still; but in her memory it was safety, and it was Thalia; as intrinsic to herself as flowers and their weaving.

Just as ShadowClan was home, just as Asylum had been, so was the fox's spotted fur as it covered her face.

And just like that, she was ready to find them again.