Bearclaw Valley and the world was consumed

she carried herself with an ease she hadn't had in the week or so since her return to the valley.  she had been dividing her time between the whelping den that she and alexander had dug together and her favored boulder and it was the latter from which she emerged today.

she pulled herself from within the dirt, stretching beneath the sunlight that filtered through the conifers and rubbed herself on the ones closest to her den.  satisfied, she probed far in the packlands, following the stream to the wide expanse of grass of the valley itself.

she hadn't really touched this land at all, and she had not expected to be this confident so soon after everything that had happened.  but this was her home, too, and she was sure that xan would protect their progeny from any danger.

deep in the valley, she lowered herself down to the partially frozen stream, lapping up some of the cool water that trickled by.