[Rita]

[ set after Shark/Rita reunion, before Gemini. transferring from discord. ]

Her form lumbered, ached. Ever since they'd found each other again, Rita had been dutifully tending to her mate's needs. But said needs were much and many, and the days had worn heavily on her shoulders. The weight of equal guilt and ignoring heartache for his sake, for the sake of his recovery. His form was curled, shaking but asleep, as she left him that dawn. He needed new herbs. Rita was never a skilled physician, and she couldn't pick out quick or convenient cures for what she needed. Her limited lessons with her daughter left her with only a few options she could still remember, and so she had to go the extra mile to seek them out, specifically. Her travels led her here. The scarred remains of what might have once been a beautiful field. Even under the ashen remnants, dusted and scattered and seemingly reckless, puffed up at each step. The air was thick and harsh in her lungs, but she pursued. Shoulders rolled as she kept her golden gaze alight, on alert for signs of others. She'd never be able to help Shark if someone else got to her. With a scowl on her maw she'd lean down and nudge sodden ashes away to reveal the budding plants beneath. Soft, green leaves were so wrong against the barren death that stretched over these low hills. And yet they grew, resistant to the choking grasp of ash. Resistant to death.

@julie @Nova