Hello love, the thistle and the burr.

As Summer crept by, the heat remained. Recent rainfall made the forest uncomfortably humid, and as a result Maral stayed closer to home. She hunted that morning for @Selwyn, @Faust, @Seaver and @Weirs and spent some time watching over them, eager to keep them from wandering off too far. Tired and grouchy with the discomfort of the afternoon warmth, the shadow was probably a little harsh on them - growling and nipping at them whenever she felt them trying her patience by misbehaving.

When the time came to depart the Queen's whelping chamber, Maral moved straight for the nearest water source. She stepped into the pebbled shallows and lapped at the pool's surface, so eager to quench her thirst that she did not at first notice the acrid taste on her tongue. She paused to breathe, lifting her muzzle to sweep droplets from her chin, and scrunched her nose to detect an odd flavour in her mouth. Maral shook her head, and dipped her crown to drink again, only to find the water to be the source of such a strange taste.

She withdrew, not sure what to make of it. Perhaps the odd and intermittent ache in her jaw was to blame. Thinking nothing else of it, the shadow moved off to seek a quiet place to rest for a while.


the staff team luvs u