scattered onyx

Lian · 11/7/2025, 8:59 PM

backdated to 11.06

Lian had come to a decision. The Tianlong seemed to be growing exponentially by the day - new faces and familiar ones alike, to her delight - but their numbers remained smaller than what she had been used to in her world before Mythris. Along with it came a margin of chaos, of imbalance, as everyone tried to adapt to their new circumstances and reorganize the Tianlong's traditional approach to hierarchy. Chores must be managed. Territory - however temporary - must be maintained, hunts conducted, recruits assigned to their duties and guided into the Tianlong's ways, and the established high ranking members eased back into the roles in a world so different from their own.

Lian would only add to Shenlei's heap of worries if she tried to scout on her own, and she was rather small to be hunting for anyone but herself. Frustrating circumstances for another wolf, perhaps, but Lian only focused on what she could do.

Which explained why she had gathered the leathery pelt of a long-dead hare as a makeshift pouch or basket, and set off early in the morning to forage the fascinating labyrinth of the ruins for food not on four legs. It wouldn't be much, but she had noticed already that the autumn had provided a bounty of seasonal fare that would make for a lavish treat to lift the spirits of her people and provide some novelty that did not come as a result of displacement from everything they had known. It served another purpose, as well, of course; keeping busy meant keeping Lian's mind off her ever-circling concerns, her ache for home, the newfound fear of waking up somewhere strange all over again.

It was hard to tell, but the morning sun she'd set out beneath now lingered directly above the heavy blanket of ominous clouds Lian was all too happy to ignore. The gathering rain did not make her fret, for though it would be a problem eventually, Lian had become far too invested in the bounty she had discovered. Each twist and turn she took through the stepping-stones of the ruins and overgrown hallways led her to new discoveries. Once, a raccoon who had startled her as much as she had it. But for her troubles, the princess now carried a pouch near to bursting with blueberries, blackberries and some small, tart wild apples in her jaws. She stood at a blackberry bush as the first scarce and small droplets splashed on the stone, weaving her slim paws through the thorny branches of the bush to tug free shiny, sweet berries to add to her collection.

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Silent Streams

princess of the tianlong