The scent of the ocean on the breeze came as a shock to the leopardess. The first light of the day was still only gently lighting up the horizon, the night she'd spend walking tiring her and making her pace slow. The ocean. She hadn't smelt that scent in years, since she traveled with her family as a cub. Her eyes were wide, as she moved towards the scent. She didn't know how close she was, but there was tantalizing whisps of scent tugging at her senses. It was beautiful and fresh, she realised, and unconsciously began to smile.
It brought back so many memories, of playing in the shallows and the rockpools as a cub, with Umbra at her side – her sister, who she'd long since fallen out of contact with. It had been so long since she'd thought of those days. A pang of regret tugged at her chest, that she had never taken Makosa to the ocean. If he came to visit, she would take him to it, she decided, but that only made the tug more strong. She didn't know if her son would return to her, but she knew he was happy, at least. Somewhere. Adelai'e would keep him safe, the bird was a clever lad and he'd done so well being the father that Makosa had wanted, and taking care of Sukanya too.
Her lungs, which had begun to ache towards the end of her walk, seemed to breath easier the closer she walked to the ocean, and she supposed it was a lack of dust and dirt to clog up the air.
She fastened her pace.
Maybe, if she was lucky, she would reach the coast in time to see the sunrise over the water.
