you're almost home [o]

Though ShadowClan's territory was familiar, the space beyond it was less so- at least, outside of a place that was now long-abandoned as far as she was aware; one she had no reason to return to. She had gotten turned around at some point on the way back, splitting paths with the cats she'd left with and wandering aimlessly until she reached the forest. She had gone to Highstones first (for the first time, and that had been an adventure of its own), but it was wholly abandoned aside from the familiar scent of herbs that meant the medicine cats still made the trek.

From there, at least, ShadowClan's territory wasn't as difficult to find. They were almost as near it as WindClan was.

Now she was avoiding the traps that littered the ground in her attempt to return to ShadowClan's camp, taking her time simply because she was tired. Oh, it had been days and days; she had stopped to hunt and to sleep, but now that she was so close-

Sleeping in a patch of marsh-flowers would have seemed rather appealing, actually, were it not for the blanket of ice and snow and the bitter chill of the wind. Still, she was overdue for a rest (she hadn't stopped once since leaving Highstones), and so she curled up on a safe patch of ground to gather the strength she'd need to finish the journey.

The scent was stronger here, at least; it wasn't abandoned as she'd started to fear.