Fen would be at it again. Where her carefully placed steps have slipped out from the eyes of those who watch her, from the whispering words of the palace grounds, and where her spirit could soar in the breadth of the unknown. She had sought out the outskirts of the Dynasty, her paws weaving through the trees and the foothills as if she were a spy on some mission sent from above.

Impossible to be found.

Unable to be located.

Hidden.

The words of the man she had met in the wood, of the sand, and of the heat he had experienced, called to her. It interested her so much that her dreams had now begun to imagine a world filled with extraordinary sights and smells—far past any she could realistically create. A sense of urgency pulled at her chest, a feeling she could not shake, as her own adventurous spark flared like a burning pyre within her.

She would not make it to the Desert today.

But Fen’s paws would certainly sneak out from the walls she knew.

Though it be an unfortunate pinch of luck or a coincidence she should have seen coming, the scent of another would bring her paws to a instanteous halt from their once searing run. The Empress’ imperial guard, a scent she knew, and one that made her body bend back into the shadows the trees could promise.

An inaudible curse flared within her mind as an olive-toned gaze searched the path that wove before her. If he found her, would he send her back? Or would he allow Fen this moment of exploration?

But to be a wandering princess without a guard…

She stole away to the shadows of the trees, hoping to hide herself beneath the overgrowth of greenery she could find. Maybe he would not notice her...