Northstar came to a halt, staring intently at the ground ahead of her. The dark, grey earth rarely had anything of interest to offer – for the most part, when travelling through these arid lands, one could see nothing but dust swirling above the ground or numerous clusters of angular stones. This time, however, yellowish, bushy twigs covered in tiny leaves were protruding from a narrow crack in the sun-baked ground. The female lowered her head, pleased by the sight of this meagre yet intrig...