Phoenix Maplewood Come say goodbye

Nanook had not been so deep in the Maplewood for weeks, but that hardly counted for the surreality that overwhelmed her now. The forest felt neither hostile nor familiar; it simply existed in a dreamlike pulse, and stretched before her for much too long. Her storm of emotion channelled to a single point until all that remained was a clammy grip that made the snow at her paws feel warm.

The brook Desna had told her about finally surfaced through the trees. Even over the babble of the river, Nanook could pick out the distinct scent of her mother, mingled with those of the alpha pair, and her eyes widened with the flare of her nostrils when she discerned among the scent both sickness and life. The polar child had never been to this densite before, but she did not need help to find the entrance. The concentration of mama's scent spurred her on. Nanook gave no hesitation to her steps and found the hole deftly. The darkness stretched before her, sickly sweet with herbs and dried blood, and a voice came from within - deep and masculine, not belonging to her mother. Yet with a mind running too fast to think of manners, Nanook slithered in without a pause for invitation.