6/29/2026, 12:48 PM
❁
The sun beamed gracefully against the shores of queen's rest that morning, though perhaps it was to make room for more sweltering weather come noon. Summer was a wrathful entity this year, many would come to find out, and many unprepared souls became victims to finding that much out. Morning birds chirped within hiding and sang gentle melodies throughout the island. They zoomed and fluttered out of hiding from the violet wisteria trees that overtook the territory and perfumed the air in a pleasantly sweet aroma.
A smell that Izumi had ached to remember, once upon a time — and now it had returned to her.
She’d initially returned to the island to find it rid of what once was, yet she’d returned with a group who’d been willing to help her build things from the ground up. Izumi owed Gekirin her gratitude for aiding her and becoming her right hand, for if it wasn’t for him keeping her head up, she probably wouldn’t have had it in her to continue. Nor would fate had probably led her to run into Osamu that night, the man that brought color to her world when things looked less than. With him, the woman saw an actual future — with family and all. Something that made her lower her muzzle to her chest and smile shyly at the thought. Seriously, what was she? A fickle teenager?
The crane bird arose from her slumber rather swiftly that morning, ready to start making routine rounds for the day. Stopping by the dens first and the caches second. They were not the only inhabitants here, the Empress had come to realize, and if she were to secure this place, she would have to do it obsessively so.
By the shore line was her next stop, sand skidding from her paws in their brisk steps. She would not realize it yet, but an unexpected visitor would pay her a visit as she trailed and marked the boarders…
For Masae !!
![[Image: 54890335_EWIrkUwAqghUjLP.png]](https://f2.toyhou.se/file/f2-toyhou-se/images/54890335_EWIrkUwAqghUjLP.png)
