Stop to smell the flowers every now and then -- Asteri

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

The heat was almost bearable. Almost. Asteri felt herself stagger for a moment, her thin legs like wobbling like sticks before she sat down, and rather hard. She made a 'harumph' noise and looked around tiredly. How long had she been walking? Had to had been a few days? She shook her head, her thin cheek fur moving with her. Her ears drooped for a moment, but then she saw something among the green of the forest. Something small and yellow. A flowering weed, maybe?

Asteri's body felt a new energy as her frail figure suddenly shot up and loped over to the yellow flower. A dandelion, but still a flower to her! And a cluster of them, too! She sat down and rolled over next to the dandelions. She let out a deep sigh as she wiggled her back around. She was able to relax for the first time in a long time. No overbearing, abusive brothers, no overly harsh father, just herself and these flowers/weeds.

It was boring walking on her own. Meadow huffed her displeasure but there was no one to hear her complaint and no one to care. At least not the person Meadow wanted to care. For a moment her mind wandered, back, back, back a Meadow far behind her. No, she reminded herself, a Meadow doesn't dwell, it is constantly changing. She just had to adjust. A Meadow adjusts and adapts quickly.

She huffs again, angling her head to make sure that other Meadow heard her displeasure. Abruptly she stopped. I know everything I need to know. A Meadow is never lonely. I'm a Meadow. I'm not lonely. And yet for the first time in her life - she was alone.

Forests were boring, too claustrophobic, too shady, too cold, too green. It was impossible to walk in a straight line. She was too big to fit in between many of the tighter knit tree clusters. This made her gait even more zig zagging than usual and her countenance ever more downcast as time and again she is prevented from going exactly where she wants to go. Still it seems nothing can curb her whims to wander and she gets stuck on several bushes in the course of her journey. Great, now I have burrs stuck in my coat. she breathed, in and out again. Meadows are patient. I am a Meadow.

It was still a relief to find that her (non)problem would soon end. Meadow wasn't relieved per say but excited, yes Meadows can be excited. Meadow stepped into the small clearing to find a smaller creature, a wolf. Yes, she had seen wolves before. She wasn't a baby anymore. As a three year old though the grizzly bear was still quite young, and as she stepped into the clearing the sun hit her fur dyeing it a rich golden brown. For a moment she halted in her relentless forward passage basking in the warmth of the sun staring at the wolf in front of her. The smaller creature was darker than she had expected. "Hello." Meadow's voice had a childlike quality to it but was not petulant, closer to a childish shyness of someone who had never talked to a stranger before.

Asteri

"The stars listen, so don't say anything you'd regret."

Asteri sat up, smelling the air as the scent of Grizzly bear hit her nose. She blinked as Meadow approached her, her body tensing up because, well, she sees the Grizzly. She wanted to up and run so badly, but her body stayed sat down on the ground as she heard the Grizzly speak.

She sounded young, which made Asteri relax slightly. "Hello..!" Her voice quivered as she spoke, but her eyes were welcoming and bright. She glanced at the dandelions, then back at Meadow. "Who are you, and how can I help you?"