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She woke from dreams of running the fields with the black horse beside her. It was spring and the air held a luminous glow of power and happiness. Birds called, filling the air with the music of hope and Surakha's blood sang with the glorious thrill of the chase. Their path took them towards the banks of the river and she tensed, ready to turn. The black horse bunched powerful muscles and arched into a graceful leap to the far bank. Surakha turned sharply, skidding in the grass as she tried to change direction and stay dry. Her hindquarters went out from under her as the edge of the bank crumbled and she landed in a heap in the shallows. The mare let out a low whickering chuckle that slowly transformed into the bell like laugh of the human woman that stood in her place. Surakha shifted in kind and stood up, instantly colder in this form. "Damnit Ebon, you cheater!" she groused, crossing her damp and muddy arms over her chest. The Phouka sighed strolled into the water without even a wince for the spring chill in the swift flow. "Oh hush beautiful. There is nothing like a swim to follow a good run is there?" The phouka gathered Surakha into her arms nad pulled her to the grassy bank beyond. They tumbled together in a contented tangle of limbs and lips. Surakha tasted sweet grass on her lover's lips and smelled the warm scent of horse on her skin. She sank into the kiss... And woke in the cold dark of winter, her cave barren of even the remains of a fire. Her heart ached for the dream, but she said nothing, hiding her pain behind the cold and neutral eyes of the lion. Surakha laid herself against the cold stone and watched the snow whip in great clouds across the cave opening. I will find you my love. No matter how long it takes. In order to quest for Ebon, I have to show commitment, sacrifice, physical prowess, and general willpower towards success. My successes on my goals below will determine how well Surakha does in her search for her partner. · MAIN QUEST: Lose 4% of my body weight over the next 4 weeks. This comes to 15.2 lbs o Goal 1: Whole 30: In order to cleanse my body and improve my metabolic outcomes, I will be engaging in strict gluten free, grain free, primal eating. We used to eat strictly primal and my wife and I were both much healthier. Plus, my hypothyroid condition will be better managed. I will track all my food through myfittnesspal o Goal 2: Endurance Through Cardio: I used to be a runner and I loved it. Now, walking for any period of time causes pain and struggle. In order to improve on this, I am going to make a goal of 10 minutes of daily walking. This will have an added bonus of helping to reduce stiffness and leg swelling from sitting all day at work and reducing overall anxiety a little bit. o Goal 3: Getting Strong and Flexible: My back is a total mess. I have a messed up disk in my lower back that gets aggravated by long periods of sitting, say to do progress notes and therapy all day. I have found in the past that regular stretching and yoga practice makes a significant difference, so before I move on to strength training I am going to add 10 - 20 minutes of yoga daily. · LIFESTYLE GOAL: My lifestyle goals are going to be consistently about self-care. I am a psychologist and I love it, but the weight of carrying others’ pain all day takes a toll, and I have a tendency to neglect my own spiritual and creative health in favor of practical tasks. The most important things right now is building a creative outlet back into my life. o Creative Process: I am a writer. I have always been one since I started journaling in 3rd grade. I don’t ever take the time to write anymore. As such, I am making a goal to write for 1 hour a day. For the purposes of this challenge, this has to be creative writing or journaling of some kind, be it poetry, fiction, or other.