Rough Cut Stone - Indigo's Journey

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Not again!

She stood at the top of the hill, overlooking the valley of death below. Bodies littered the ground, dark red blood staining the dirt beneath them. She tried to look away, and to her surprise, she had control this time. Immediately upon realizing this, Indigo turned tail, darting away from the valley as fast as she could. Her feet became a blur over the ground, as she sprinted across the meadow. When she finally began to tire, she slowed her pace, twisting around to look back.

To Indigo's horror, the valley of bodies still stretched beneath her. It hadn't changed distance from her at all, as if she'd never run all that way at all. She stared in shock, head snapping left and right wildly. She expected Graphite to appear at any moment, sneering like he always did. But no Graphite appeared.

Indigo's eyes slowly blinked open, the images of her dream fading away. She was confused, lifting her head from the soft leafy bed she slept on. It was still dark, and her eyes took time adjusting. When she was finally able to properly see, she turned her gaze up to the sky. The moon was setting, but Indigo guessed it'd still be a while before dawn broke. She didn't feel tired, especially since her dream left her feeling uneasy again. They always did. They hadn't stopped over the past week, and Indigo was slowly losing sleep to the repetitive dreams.

She pushed herself to her feet, carefully stepping over the sleeping forms of her Packmates, padding quietly to the edge of the clearing. She peered out curiously into the woods, once again remembering the strange occurrences from a week ago. The martharaptor in the the territory, and then hearing strange noises in the woods were both unusual, and the happenings had been plaguing her mind since. She felt bad about not saying anything to anyone about it, but it was too late now. She'd probably be in more trouble for keeping it for so long. Still, the curiosity and worry of what may be out there was making it difficult to focus on anything else.

"Don't stare for too long, you might get lost in the wonder of what's out there."
The voice startled Indigo, causing her to jump and spin around, head feathers flaring up in alarm. She relaxed when she saw Topaz standing not far off from her, watching her with a calm expression.
"Oh, did I frighten you? Sorry, Indigo." He apologized, taking a few steps forward to stand beside her.
"It's alright, sir," she said somewhat sheepishly, turning back to the forest. "I'm just curious. What's beyond our territory? Beyond our hunting grounds? What else lurks out there?"
She peered up at her Pack head with a curious, but also uneasy look. Topaz glanced down at her, shuffling his feathers slightly.

"A lot. A lot of danger. A lot of death." His words remindes Indigo again of the valley she kept seeing in her dreams, and she flinched, not wanting to see that amount of death ever in her life. Topaz faced her, and she glanced up at him.
"Indigo?" He asked, earning a raised brow from her. "Yes, sir?" She responded. The Pack head hesitated a moment before speaking again. "Is there something on your mind? You seem uneasy. Is there something you want to share?" His tone almost sounded challenging, as if testing Indigo. She shook her head firmly. "No, sir, I'm alright. I guess I'm just tired, maybe. I woke up too early."

Topaz held her gaze for an uncomfortably long time, until Indigo finally looked away, idly back at the expanse of trees that lay beyond the clearing. "Very well," Topaz finally replied, drawing her gaze back on him. "I suggest you try to get some more sleep before the morning. I'll be sending you on a territory run with a few other youngsters. I expect you to be well rested." With that, he turned and padded back to his lair, leaving Indigo feeling more uneasy then when he'd found her. She stared out at the woods for a few moments longer, before finally turning away and returning to her bed. She was sure she could feel Topaz's gaze locked on her from the darkness of his lair, and the thought sent the feathers along her back spiking uncomfortably.