A New Storm

[twist-of-fate-16]

((I know this is a bit late, having already done up Tafara''s ref sheet and first challenge, but I figured I'd do this the right way.))


She came with the clouds beneath her paws and the wind at her back, borne up by shifting storms and restless rain. The pridelands stretched before her; a verdant expanse of twisting rainforest. It was the time of rain in the pridelands, and the trees were heavy with rainfall; the rivers rushing; the waterfalls spilling over. She lifted up her head and listened, for the signs that were always present when there was life. There--a pulse. Anguish. Grief. Fear. This pride was in hard times. She shut her glazed eyes, letting the outermost edges of her consciousness reach out. She knew there was more to be felt, but it was buried deep. Yes, there--faint, but clear as a cloudless day: That feeling that no knows distinctions, that binds and holds, that reaches across every distance and every time to bring together. Hope.
She smiled and stepped across the border.