The Great Quest

Ravenna trotted along a narrow path, picking her way through the moss-covered rocks and white-barked trees. Tipping her nose to the sky, she inhaled deeply. The air was crisp and fresh after yesterday's rain, the ground soft. The world felt clean. Her tail wagged with her gait, she loved just after a good storm.

Getting drenched and having her fur whipped into knots with icy winds, not so much.

But after? Ravenna wished it could always be like this.

A rustle in the undergrowth brought her out of her thoughts and she froze, canting her head. Ears swiveling, nose twitching. Slowly, her tail began to wag again. There was something ahead.

Ravenna was off like a shot, charging through the brush. The little critter darted this way and that, trying to evade it’s pursuer. Ravenna felt a gleeful laugh bubbling up as she gave chase.

Slowing, she let the rustling among the undergrowth fade into the distance. A wide smile played at her lips as she caught her breath. Ravenna looked around, getting her bearings. Her tail began to wag again. She knew exactly where she was.

Once again, she picked her way through the bushes. Branches scratched her legs and tugged at her fur. But she didn't care. There was treasure here! She just had to find…

There! A whine escaped her throat as Ravenna spied her prize. Shoving through the bramble with renewed vigor until she reached the unassuming bush. It had sprung up next to a tree, in the clearing surrounding the trunk. The dense shade from the branches overhead meant most things wouldn't grow too close. Nature's way of keeping things from crowding. But this bush rarely followed the given laws of nature.

Ravenna licked her lips in anticipation.

She carefully stuck her muzzle into the bush, gingerly pulling some of it's fruit free. Ravenna sat down, chewing slowly. Enjoying the sour bite of the skin before the sweetest thing she's ever tasted filled her mouth.

It took her back to when she was a puppy. Ravenna and her friends would get into so much trouble, going on adventures and quests to find the elusive bush and it's tantalizing fruit.

Running through the forests. Getting tangled in the brambles. Coming home with burs stuck in her fur and needing to sit in the river, for what felt like ages to a young pup, to get clean again.

Joyous laughter, carrying on the wind. Rain or shine, they were out. Searching. Endless adventures, quests and scavenger hunts. But those berries were the ultimate find.

She's lost touch with all of them now. Ravenna hasn't seen this bush in years, but the familiar taste has brought all those cherished memories flooding back.

The bush didn't look like much. It looked rather boring and dreary actually, amongst the rather bright landscape of the region. Its leaves were dull, almost brown. And the white berries it produced grew close to the center, making them hard to spot, let alone pick.

Ravenna had never had anything so good. She was not afraid to admit that she was addicted to these things. Standing again, she plunged in for another mouthful.

After finally getting her full, she circled the bush. She had an idea. It was close to the tree trunk, but not impossibly so. Her lips twitched in a grin and she gave an experimental scratch at the dirt.

Despite the dense canopy above, thanks to the heavy storm, the earth was soft and moist under her paws. Claws sinking deep, Ravenna began to paw at the ground.

Cool dirt between her toes. Flying behind her. A primal joy filled her chest and she dug faster. Tail wagging, tongue lolling.

Once there was a sizable hole, Ravenna tore the bush up by the roots. She practically pranced the whole way back to her den, head held high with her prize.

She was no botanist, but she hoped the shrub's hardiness would see it through. Even if it didn't survive, it would look nice right by the entrance to her den for a little while.

Confident that the bush would be unbothered by the move, perhaps even relish the attention it would now receive. Ravenna was already looking forward to growing her own stash of this rare treat.