| This post is unrelated to the current tour and takes place well after it. |
It had been a few days since he had run from Alby's home. The gentle giant still missed his friend. Despite the small amount of time they'd had together, the ginger tabby had been a great companion, and it had been with a heavy heart that Skrunkly had left him behind. Skrunkly... the name still had an odd ring to it. More of a nickname than a true name, if even that. It had felt right when Alby called him such. An almost endearing, paternal ring to his voice whenever the elder had spoken to him. But it wasn't his name. Both his mind and heart could agree on that.
Paws padding on heavily, the white furred tom was beginning to feel the weight of his journey, fatigue finally setting in. He'd hoped he wasn't too far from home. That home would just... magically appear to him. But it hadn't. And the fear that he would never find the place he sought, the one his heart called for crept all around him, threatening to engulf him in its misery.
Considering the very real possibility of collapsing for a quick rest, Skrunkly's mismatched ears perked up, a roaring, oddly familiar sound calling to him. He'd done this before. Been called by this very roar before. He could feel it. His heart could feel it, that much he knew. The quickening of its beat hinting as much, in any case.
With renewed vigor, the Maine Coon mix rushed forward, massive paws pounding the dirt beneath him as he rushed towards the source of the sound, his blue eyes sparkling as he expected... something. He did not know. Not even upon arrival did he understand why he'd been drawn to this place, but had it not been for the jingling ball still securely grasped in his mouth, his jaw would have surely dropped open. There was a majesticness to the scene. A quality of tranquility despite the loud, all encompassing yowl of the water that fell violently upon the pool before him. As if in reverence, Skrunkly lowered the jingling ball upon his paws, grasping it tightly before staring up at the falls once more.
"Twilight... Falls?" the patched feline whispered, more to himself than anyone else, both confusion and elation warring for his attention as he remembered this place's name.
She wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling, to be honest. Once upon a time, she had been alone, in the nursery as a lost little kit, wondering where her mother Shiningmoon had gone off to and why she hadn't come back. She had been helpless little Berrykit back then, terrified of the world and it's confusing mix of horrors.
The next time she'd been alone was just as unexpected and unprecedented as the first. Skyleaf, her adoptive mother, had died to a ShadowClanner. Later, Berryfrost had found out that both her mothers had died to ShadowClanners, and she knew not why, but it had happened. Skyleaf had come back, though, when Berryfrost had been four moons old, but after that she'd disappeared again, and it'd felt worse than the first time.
Maybe she was cursed, that's what she'd begun to believe at that point. Anyone who loved or cared for her or remained around her disappeared without a trace. Either that, or they died. They didn't just die natural deaths of old age or health causes, they died unnatural ones. Murder, killing, toxin. And it bothered Berryfrost to no end. It made her want to writhe with anxiety.
Tawnypaw's - a cat she'd once called her best friend - disappearance had been closure for Berryfrost. She'd shut herself off from the world, figuring that if no one talked to her, if no one cared about her, then no one would be hurt. And it'd worked, too, but Berryfrost had found that she'd grown isolated and alone beyond measure. Talking became hard, normal conversations made her a nervous wreck, constantly wondering if she said the right things made her fidgety beyond measure.
What would anyone want with someone who couldn't look them in the eye in a normal conversation, anyway?
For the longest time, Berryfrost had even shamefully avoided her mentor - Peachfrost - just because she'd been... scared. A mouse, that was what she'd been. Hiding away from the entirety of the world and always wanting to come out. And then, out of the blue, she didn't know how it'd happened, but Snowybreeze had come along. He'd indirectly taught her to be brave, to push down most, if not all, of her insecurities away. He'd taught her so much, pulled her out of her shell without realizing. Because of him, she'd given Peachfrost a chance, because of him, she hadn't run away from Fallownose the second he'd laid his attention on her, because of him, she had a family. And Berryfrost would never stop being grateful for that.
Maybe he didn't know it. . .
Maybe now he never would.
Tears clinging to her lashes, Berryfrost sniffled quietly to herself, as unmoving as a rock. In fact, she probably did look like a rock from further away, since her back was to everything and she was curled up in a tight ball beside the waterfall's base; the pond.
She felt like a fool. She'd come here to cry, because no one would hear it against the thundering roar of waterfall. She just... Berryfrost was so helpless. She couldn't find him anywhere. No matter who she asked or where she searched, he'd just.. disappeared. After spending a whole night in that overly large nest in the warriors' den, which no longer felt like home without her best friend at her side, Berryfrost had moved sleeping quarters. She'd done the only thing she could think of, pulling the jagged rock out of her nest and bringing it with her to a corner of the clearing from where she could watch the entrance. She'd slept there, night after night with only her little rock as company, her aching and sore limbs offering no help to her raw, broken heart.
Snowybreeze would not have left on his own. She knew that. He was too kind, too good, to leave her without saying anything. But her traitorous insecurities whispered that maybe she'd run him off too, just like everyone else.
Another, fresh round of sobs wracked her body, and the small, speckled molly couldn't help the whimper that crawled out of her throat. Grieving was natural, someone had told her once, when she'd been teary-eyed over her mother's death. And yet, even as a small kitten, back then Berryfrost had returned that she didn't want to grieve; she had just wanted her mother back. The warrior hadn't said anything, and now Berryfrost knew why. She had been a foolish youngster, not understanding that sometimes cats just didn't... come back at all.
Berryfrost knew not how long she'd been laying there, staring at nothing, and yet, she knew the exact second she heard it. The voice. His voice. At first, Berryfrost paid it no mind. She'd begun to hallucinate Snowybreeze's voice and see him around every corner recently, only to realize it was just her imagination or she'd mistook someone else. But... it was the fact that she heard him say something so odd, so off from what he usually said in her imaginations that made her lift her head - and freeze in shock.
She was seeing things. She had to be seeing things, because not so far off, by the water's edge, stood a very large maine coon cat, one with snow-white fur and a cinnamon-coloured patch Berryfrost only knew and loved one cat to have.
Her heart stopped, seemingly stuck in her throat, and Berryfrost was afraid that even moving would make the image disappear. But when her brain caught up to her, the young molly realized that... this was no memory. Snowybreeze had never been here with her, he'd never said those words to her - Twilight Falls! She'd never heard him say them before now! Surely, she wasn't so crazy as to be imagining something that never had been?
All too suddenly, Berryfrost was afraid that he'd disappear all over again if she shifted positions. But she couldn't help it any longer. She couldn't just stand here in fear when a kernel of hope was blooming in her chest, urging her onward.
"Snowybreeze!" Berryfrost gasped, the words a low-pitched whine. Then and there, the molly dissolved into sobs. Relieved sobs, terrified sobs, broken sobs. At this point, she didn't even know what it was anymore. "Snowybreeze," She whispered again. And then again and again and again like a mantra, as if she couldn't believe he was there, standing in front of her. "Where did you- How- Why?" The words tumbled out on their own, mixing along with each other in a string until nothing that she said made sense.
With him truly in front of her, though, Berryfrost couldn't find it in her to refrain any longer. She needed to.. really make sure he was there. To make sure he wasn't a ghost. From StarClan. That was a thing, right? StarClan ghosts could visit cats? Just the thought alone made her heart ache ten times more. She'd considered it, that Snowybreeze could have died, but.. no. She refused to believe so, especially with his phantom standing in front of her. "Are you- are you really here?" She asked, swallowing down the lump in her throat and tentatively reaching out a paw in an attempt to . . she didn't know. Prod him, maybe. Berryfrost would much rather embrace him, but it would feel all the worse if he wasn't really here.
Littlekit
lSemi long furred grey and white tabby - 3 moons - She/Her
Littlekit had been quiet from being enthralled with her surroundings especially from the deputy jumping into the water. What she wasn't expecting was to nearly get trampled on and then almost witness a den mate drown by the same water. The kit felt her self get pulled closer to Leopardsong and relaxed after a short minute, "I'm okay, they are weird though". Her eyes closed and purred in content from her fur getting smoothed out thanks to the older cat. Pale green eyes opened back up when she heard the leader speak again seeming to lecture Owlkit and Leopardsong. She felt bad for Leopardsong getting lectured for not paying attention to Owlkit, maybe he could join the small group. The tabby took a glance at the mentioned kit but was quick to return her attention back to Leopardsong once everyone was moving on.
(I know the RP has already moved on, but I wanted to make a reaction post with Twistedpaw! Another post at the group's current location will be made shortly. This post is CLOSED. Any responses to it must be in the current location and made after I've done my second post with her.)
(WARNING: This post contains internalized ableism and references to abuse. Please do not read it if you think it will bother you.)
~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~
Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip; has a crooked jaw, mangled tail, and one blind eye.
The small black she-cat's attention was wrenched from the beautiful, glistening falls by a familiar voice. Blinking, she turned toward its source. Fogpaw stood among the shifting shapes of their Clanmates, the green grass stark against her gray tabby pelt. Twistedpaw felt like someone had clawed a hole in her stomach. She felt nauseous, and her head felt light. Quickly, the nine-moon-old apprentice turned away. I can't let her see me! she thought desperately, heart racing. The embarrassing scene from the meeting replayed in her mind: Twistedpaw crashing into Fogpaw, then Fogpaw apologizing for something that wasn't her fault. As usual, Twistedpaw had made someone blame themself for something she'd done, and she felt wretched. The whole experience had also been incredibly embarrassing. Stupid blind eye... stupid clumsiness...
She was distracted from her disconcerted thoughts as a yowl split the air. Alarmed, the matted hair on the back of her neck rising toward the perfect blue sky, Twistedpaw jumped and looked up fast enough to make her crooked jaw swing. Mercifully, she regained her balance quickly, not lurching much as she swiftly dug her paws into the soil to ensure her mangled tail didn't tip her to the side. What was that? It sounded like the deputy, Fallownose. Twistedpaw turned toward the noise right as a loud SPLASH! was heard. She audibly gasped, moving to press against Brightpaw, vaguely aware of how the bony bits of her tail must be digging into her foster sister's side if they were close enough. Fallownose had jumped into the water! Twistedpaw's paws were rooted to the ground in terror. Why did he do that? Water was dangerous! He could drown! He might've attacked Willowsky and taken her to the outskirts of WindClan territory, but Twistedpaw didn't resent him for it. He hadn't acted wrongly, though he hadn't understood that none of it was Willowsky's fault. Yeah, Willowsky's actions were bad, but... I deserved them. Okay, so sometimes, she felt a prickle of discomfort whenever she looked at the tall dark-gray-and-white tom. But she didn't hate him - and she certainly didn't want him to drown.
Twistedpaw tried to think over what he'd said before jumping in. Something about doing what Twilightstar said, but not doing something else? She wasn't sure. Her mind was racing with panic and fear as she prayed to StarClan that he would be okay. She hardly had time to do that, though, as Wolffang yowled the deputy's name and plunged into the water after him. Twistedpaw's heartbeat doubled, and she swayed on her paws, her mouth dry with terror. Then, suddenly, Fallownose's head popped above the water. She sighed with relief, though tight claws still gripped her chest. She expected him to look terrified, but his voice was bubbly with laughter, and his amber eyes shone. It looked like he was having the time of his life! The thought of being in that pond made Twistedpaw shudder; her bulging light gray tail-tip twitched sporadically. She could imagine it seeping into her medium-length black fur, soaking into her jaw and tail, making them all stiff and wet. It was not pleasant. Not to mention that she couldn't swim.
But why did he do that? she wondered, baffled. He was talking about naming the place Twilight Falls after their leader - so casually it made Twistedpaw's head spin - and, despite the situation, Twistedpaw agreed with it. Then Wolffang, floundering and sopping wet, dragged himself to the riverbank and began yelling at Fallownose. Twistedpaw cringed backward, her eyes wide and horrified. Nobody talks to the deputy like that! She hoped Wolffang didn't get in trouble. He'd thought Fallownose was in danger; his intentions were good. And he'd saved her during the Dusk Syndicate attack, so she felt indebted to him, in a way.
Thankfully, Wolffang backed off quite awkwardly and went to stand beside Leopardsong. The two warriors spent quite a bit of time together. Were they mates? Twistedpaw wasn't sure. They hadn't officially announced anything. She turned back to the sopping-wet Fallownose, who looked to be in a much better state than Wolffang. Her pulse was still elevated, her paws shaky with nervousness, but the ordeal had passed. She felt better knowing Fallownose was okay, though the awkwardness of it still made her cheeks burn even though she hadn't been involved. What will Twilightstar say?
There was a small plop, and Twistedpaw turned to see a black shape vanish into the water. Owlkit! Her heart began to race again. But what could an ugly, weak, cowardly, disfigured apprentice like her do? Twistedpaw cowered back, praying Brightpaw and Mousefern were still nearby. Meanwhile, Twilightstar was reacting to everything, looking more than a little agitated. Owlkit, by the grace of StarClan, managed to drag himself out of the pond. Because of his near-drowning, Twilightstar went over to Leopardsong, who had been tasked with watching the kits, and got mad at her. The lilac-gray leader's words weren't furious, but they certainly weren't happy, and the way they were spoken was bad enough. Twistedpaw grimaced and hid her face. She couldn't watch the interaction. It made her feel very, very uncomfortable. And nervous. Almost like she was the one being scolded even though, for once in her life, she'd done nothing wrong.
Even though Owlkit had gone to the river unauthorized, Twistedpaw felt bad for him as she heard rather than saw Twilightstar address the kit next. She would not want the leader to talk to her that way. Finally, Twilightstar spoke with Fallownose, telling him to apologize to Wolffang. Her tone was lighter now, and that, along with her declaration, was a relief. At least Wolffang won't get in trouble. He hadn't done anything wrong, after all. Twilightstar didn't seem too mad at Fallownose, either, which was a relief. What happened? Wasn't this supposed to be a fun tour? Apparently, it had gone downhill real fast. Twistedpaw glanced at Brightpaw, feeling a flicker of fear. I'm so glad Mousefern called Brightpaw away. What if she fell in? It wasn't that deep, but still.
Twilightstar accepted the name, Twilight Falls, not out of vanity, but because no one had protested the name. Twistedpaw felt herself relax, then rose to her paws as Twilightstar told them to gather so they could move on. Twistedpaw went to join the rest of the group, hanging back a little and sticking closely to Brightpaw and Mousefern. Her paws still shook with the excitement of what had occurred. Please, StarClan, let the next place not be as eventful as this... She didn't want any more drama.
__________________
Some of my characters think or act in ways I disagree with. Please understand that I do not support or condone these thoughts or actions.
Cowtuft scavenged throughout Twilight Falls, scrapping moss off the nearby wet rocks. He would collect a few sticks, carrying them in a maw. While not rare at all, it was always useful to stay stocked.
He didn't know how he hadn't noticed it before. The scent of another cat in this place. And his nose was usually so good, too! He'd noticed this as he was making his way to... well... nowhere, he supposed. Wide, doe eyes instantly landed on the eggshell colored molly, however, as she let herself be known, whiskers twitching mildly as he tried to ascertain if she was friend or foe.
Skrunkly quickly realized that it seemed to be impossible to think as long as he was looking at her, though. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, an odd feeling of guilt mixed with indescribable joy intermingling and rushing through him with the same force as the waterfall before him now. He didn't understand this feeling of sudden belonging, a feeling he couldn't remember having before... yet he knew it had been there all along. Who was this beautiful feline before him now, who made him feel weak in the limbs and with the force of a thousand lions all with one simple look? And why was she crying? Had... had he made her cry somehow? Was this his fault?
A small whine escaping the tom as he shuffled his paws, he realized he was at a loss for words. He had to apologize, he was sure. Yet for some reason, he felt like he shouldn't? It was... the strangest sensation. Most vexing. And she kept saying the weirdest thing. Snowy breeze. It sounded familiar. Comforting. Like it was something he'd heard many a time before but... it... it wasn't snowing. Not to his knowledge. There was a breeze though. It was quite pleasant. Maybe he could start there? Yes, talk of the weather was always a good place to start.
Before he could say anything, however, the speckled molly spoke again, this time with questions bursting forth. Questions he... did not have answers to. Where did he-? How-? Why-? He wanted to know too, but sadly any response had eluded the gentle giant thus far.
Silently, he tried to think of what to say. He felt compelled to give this cat responses to her questions. And he was close. He knew the answers were there. If he could only remember. If only he could catch up to his wandering mind, track those pesky memories and keep them in place for long enough to know how to answer what she wished to know. What he wished to know. Perhaps she would be willing to help him remember? He had just met her, he knew, but already Skrunkly felt like he could trust this spotted she-cat with his life.
A small paw on his flank catching him off guard, Skrunkly realized he had been awfully quiet for a bit, and he turned an apologetic gaze on his new companion. On the familiar stranger. At her question, his eyes softened, a small, playful smile tugging at his lips. "It appears so," he responded, a small purr escaping him. Now... would this be the most inappropriate of times to ask just where exactly here was?
Tan legs padded gracefully around the falls, the roaring cacophony provided by the single stream that burst through towards the pool not something the former queen was well used to yet. It was truly marvelous, how similar yet different this whole place was to their former home. Something like this monument of a place would never have been found back in their old territory, and frankly, Dapplebreeze couldn't say she would be sad if the place was lost or taken away from WindClan. With little prey other than fish and the ruckus the place was constantly in, providing no respite for the breeze, she was certainly not particularly fond of this new place. Yet here her paws had taken her, reflecting on what her life had become of late.
It had been moons since the fire. Moons since she had lost her kits. StarClan's cruelty had not escaped her. First Whisperbreeze, and then her little bird and Ryepaw in one go. They had been so fickle as to make her think that Bravebird was back among the living, back to her and her clan, only to realize it had all been nothing more than a filthy lie. They were all gone now, and with them, her family's legacy was coming close to an end.
Dapplebreeze wasn't young anymore, but she was far from being an elder. She certainly considered herself far from being a senior warrior even, albeit perhaps at fifty six moons there might be some who would beg to disagree. A part of her longed for what she had lost. A family. Would it be too late? To be a queen once more?
Blue eyes stared at the falling waterfall, sorrow clear in them as she let her mask of regal strength crumble. Here by the roaring cascade there was no one to see her. She had no one to hide her aching heart from, even herself. Maybe... maybe there was still time. To ensure her family's legacy was secure. To allow more young breezes to flow through WindClan's plateau. She would need to secure a proper mate, of course. A strong, confident mate. One who was fiercely loyal to WindClan, saw their rightful spot as the top clan, and held pride in their roots as the clan that slept under the stars.
With a sigh, the former queen almost grumbled, shaking herself with disappointment. There was... no cat like that in WindClan. Not aside of WindClan's very own Peachfrost. Now, there was a cat who radiated with power, passion, and a fierceness to match her own. A cat who was not afraid to speak her mind but still understood the power structure enough to know that Twilightstar's word was law.
Too bad the guardian had her own family to contend with. No matter how much - or little, in this case - she thought of Berryfrost, the fact remained that she was Peachfrost's daughter, and her own grandson's beloved. She would never get between a solid, well balanced family unit as they presented themselves to be. A relationship between the two would be complicated at best, and that was assuming the cream colored molly returned any sort of interest in her direction. Oh... why was there just the one contender for perfect mate amongst the many single felines of the clan? Was she simply too picky? Nonsense. It made sense to strive for perfection in every aspect of life. Surely this was no different.
Lamenting her woes, knowing full well she never thought she would be in such a situation again, the older warrior settled herself down, laying by the water's edge. The noise was... scandalous. Distracting. Welcoming against the thoughts she wished to remove from her head. She would be back in camp soon enough. Being the dutiful warrior she'd always been. Doing her best for her clan. But for now, she would grieve in silence for what she'd lost. For what would not be.
| Open |
__________________
Lightningstorm is WindClan's current medicine cat.
She has a semi-closed den policy.
「☆」 THE GENTLE GIANT 「☆」 ╰► COWTUFT he | him ★ massive white tom with black splotches and floppy ears + scar over his neck, burned hindleg, x-scar marks on shoulders; left green eye and right blue eye ★
The sounds of the waterfall was almost overpowering, the gentle splashes of fish swimming through the strong ripples. It was a clear sky, but the morning was still young and the air was on the chiller side of things. "Be careful.. when searching..!!" Cowtuft mewed out quietly to Lightningpaw, searching through the thick evergreen nearby the water. His apprentice's training was coming along just fine, she almost knew as much as he did. Strange, honestly. He didn't expect this to be so smooth, but perhaps the medicine cat had peculiar expectations based off his own experiences.
There was a reason for this outing, of course. He could've simply taught her in their den but sometimes (a lot of times) he felt it was unhealthy to spend so much time in a dark place. The sky was so vast, to be with their ancestors, to be under the sky -- that was what was true. Divinity. Something they could barely grasp. Cowtuft lacked a few of the herbs he had wanted to teach Lightningpaw, after all, this seemed like the best option.
It was when the splotched tom discovered a white flower with a yellow center that he let out a small, cheerful squeak. Aha. Here was what he had been searching for. "Lightnningg, dear..!" He cooed to gather her attention, beckoning her to come to where he was. Cowtuft leaned down to wrap his jaws around the thin stem of the daisy and he gently picked it. Then, he padded a few tailslength away from the water (too loud) so he could properly elaborate.
-- the following contains content that may not be suitable
for all audiences. do not read if you are uncomfortable with
triggering topics. --
character opinions do not reflect my own beliefs.
scorchedfang
As soon as he hit the tree line, relief washed over him. The trees took the brunt of the rainfall, the canopy above alive with the pitter-patter of fat drops. Fellcone took this opportunity to genuinely give his pelt a shake, ruffling his fur and cascading nearby leaves in the rain water. Or was it creek water? At this point, with the downpour it was impossible to tell.
Feline a little lighter, he began to smooth down his fur. Tried to be tidier, to make himself warmer, but.. something caught his eye. Something dark red, glistening against dark leaves. He knew those things. Those.. berries.
They drew him in, like light in darkness. They glowed with a unique crimson aura, and he reached to pluck one. It came away from the bush easily, and he took a moment to examine it before he popped it in his mouth. There was something unpleasantly firm in there, so he spat that out and continued on with his berry snack.
It was sickeningly sweet, and he recoiled with a start. I do not want to die--
Panic overtook him, he stumbled away from the bush and tried to expel the flesh from his mouth. He could still taste it, he could feel it, the toxins overtaking his system. Green eyes reflected back at him, half-lid, sluggish. Weakening... help...
"Knock that off." A voice growled in his ear. "You are allowing your She-catly Emotions to rule you. Get up, boy."
He knew that voice, from where...? "I said get up! I did not raise you to be some queer." A phantom pain rang over his ear, like he had been clubbed. Falconpaw grimaced, looking up at his father with wet eyes. "Look at you." The disgust was evident in his voice, muzzle contorted into a sneer. Peachfuzz loomed over him, words dripping more than the rain above. "Like some twig. You are weak. Spineless. A She-cat casts you out, and you accepted that like the no-good stick you are. A rock would have made a better son, they at least stand their ground."
This was wrong. Falcondive's mind was whirling, confused and upset (scared) and how was this happening-- "... no,"
"No?" If it were possible, Peachfuzz felt even closer. Falconpaw could smell the death in his breath, the raw stench of decay. "She-cats have run your life, and now you are off galivanting around with confused she-toms. You--" Stop, stop, stop. Falcondive lashed out, willing the shade of his father to Leave.
He knew nothing, neither of them did. Nothing was wrong, he was fine, this isnt real (Why did it feel so real)
he didnt want this to be real. "Enough!"
"Be glad your mother cannot see you, it would break her heart to see such a disgrace."
"You killed her!" Even worse, "AND you killed yourself, so who's-- who is really the disgrace?" He just wanted to be happy.
maybe he could never be.
Around him, the rain had slowed. He could barely hear the trickle against the leaves, how much time had passed? All that remained was the nearby chirp of crickets.
In the moment, he had never felt so alone. Fellcone sank to the ground, exhausted and overwhelmed, and wept.
Last edited by BEAR.; July 28th, 2023 at 05:49 AM.
Morning rolled around, and Frozenberry's everything had stiffened in the damp chill overnight. It hadn't been a restful sleep, not his best (still hypervigilant, listening for any perceived danger), but without the bustle of camp there was a stillness that'd kept him from waking as much.
And he felt it. Locked up, sore joints protested the rise to his paws. Gazing sweeping his immediate surroundings, the moor was in the midst of a quiet morning, plus the downpour seemed to have moved on. The buffeting wind greeted Frozenberry as he emerged for a better examination; in the distance, the camp sounded busy. He wondered if Falcon made it back, but...
surely, he would've come for him? not just left him out here. There was no obligation to do so, simply assumed it would've happened that way.
A casual walk (read: search) fell into place quickly upon the decision that he wasn't prepared to enter camp (and have eyes on him), so he began toward the woods Falcon'd disappeared into. Most of the lingering scent had been swept by the rain, only the occasional trace remaining, thus he found himself simply meandering on what appeared to be a well-traveled trail while he scanned the area for signs of life.