Phantom Hollow miles outside of the eye of the storm

Whether he was pursued or not—and he suspected the ogre woman was preoccupied enough not to give chase to him—the wolf carried on until he was well beyond the wolf-scent of the plains. As he ran he became aware that there was warmth upon his lower back which the weather did not account for; it was too gray above, and while this spring had been warm it was not that warm or concentrated.

As the adrenaline worked its way through his system he huffed and puffed a few times, shaking the tension from his shoulders. The sensation traveled down to his hips and when he tried to continue the release of worry, there was only sharpness and pain, enough which made him suck air through gritted snaggleteeth. Fortunately enough the wolf had stopped his run by a waterway; so he took stock of his surroundings, remaining on high alert in case he had to bolt again.