Much had happened to her in her travels, but as she walked her mind wandered as well, which wasn't a bad thing she mused, but it sometimes brought her around to odd thoughts. Such as how were some of those mothers who she helped doing? The young kin who'd been sick, or hurt she helped to heal? The injured bucks...how were they faring?

Then of course there were the deceased. Those she sat with through their final breaths, or came upon long after it'd been taken, and quietly buried in some fashion. How were they? Though she suspected the dead had nothing to worry about, and that they at least were fine. So it was more the living she mused over.

The friends she'd made in her journeying. How were they? Were they well? Did they recall her? Hope she might come back for a visit? That wasn't something she'd ever thought about doing before, and the thought was a startling one. Go back and visit. There were a few friends she'd made she wouldn't mind going back to find, and she gave a smile thinking about them. Of course it was more bucks she was thinking of visiting again, but who could blame her? Some of them had been quite eye catching, and she'd enjoyed their company in a multitude of ways so it made sense to sort of hope to run across them again. At least assuming they had the same thoughts occupying her mind just then.

Though really, several of the mothers she'd befriended would be nice to see again, see if their young was still with them, or if they'd grown up enough to start striking out on their own. She felt a small pang in her chest, and there was a twisting of the smile on her face. Young. What would it be like, to have her own offspring? Where would she be if she found out she was pregnant? Would she keep wandering? Settle down somewhere till the young one, or ones were able to travel with her? She'd likely be on her own when she found out. Would she be able to handle it? She figured she could....but did she want to? Maybe finding somewhere to settle somewhat permanently...

But no that idea was shaken away as quick as it'd come to her. She liked to travel the swamp, to help those who might need her help, or her company and to meet other kin. Settling in one spot for any length of time would prevent that. Still, maybe a sort of home base she could come back to in between her wandering spells, a solid place to settle in and rest. It was an interesting thought, and one she would have to put some serious thought towards. Just because she had somewhere she could go, didn't mean she had to, and she could keep wandering. It was just there, and in case. Shelter in the storm and all. Guardian looked around as she walked, trying to decide if she should start looking for a place to build shelter, or if maybe she should track down one of the many kin she'd befriended, and check up on them.

As she walked, she figured she could do both. Look for somewhere suitable to set up a place she could return to, while on her way to track down any of the kin she knew, to see how they were. Make sure they were healthy and well. It made her smile, to think on seeing some of them again, to see how big some of the babies she'd helped to birth were, some had to have been adults by now themselves, and it awed her some. Maybe one day, she'd have her own to add to the growing population of the swamp. Her thoughts continued on various paths as she walked, and she let them. It was interesting to see where her thoughts took her.

(661 words)