Lost Creek Hollow Gateway

It was dark and misty, quiet. Dampened sounds of the valley filtered through the dense canopy of branches and lush carpet of undergrowth: the distant tumble of the rapids and waterfalls and the howls of activity from the three surrounding packs. The afternoon sun hung lazily overhead, muted by thick foliage.

A petite she-wolf rolled over in her makeshift nest, squeezed her eyes firmly shut, pushing memory of sight and smell and texture to the back of her crowded mind. Fragments of grass and moss clung to her dull pelt, the shadows of her ribs visible against its silver-blue hue. She couldn't count them--yet--but the life of a loner had left her leaner, more angular in her cheek and hip bones. Two seasons ago, she had been trying to lose weight, but prey was always bountiful in her homeland. She also had a pack to share it with.

Exile and isolation seemed to be taking its toll on her mentally as much as it was physically. She could feel the ache in her heart as acutely as the ache in her muscles; for being forced to leave her family behind. For forcing her family to burden themselves with her pain. Her one mistake. She ached for the soldiers she will never fight alongside, the hunters she will never share the glory with, and the healers she will never assist again. However, if there was one thing the wolf valued, it was her dignity, and she was losing it every second she layed on the ground. Not that she had much left after--

She will stop thinking about that.

She hauled herself to her feet, stretching like a cat. She would go explore the woods some more, hunt and move on. She came to Teekon to escape one life--now it was time to build a new one.