Porcupine Ridge Paper shields

Much has changed in the ridge pack. Four times has the pack faced a sudden loss of one of its own without warning: first Jhala, the Beta female, of whom there is no trace; then Vuk, the darling white-and-black patchwork female carrying the wolf's own blood within; then Terich-mir, and finally Diane, whom he misses the most. It is her disappearance that rouses him to action. Jhala and Terich-mir he has reservations about and Vuk was but a moment of passion driven by instinct, but of Diane he is truly very fond, perhaps more than he is even aware.

He wanders the borders, nose alternating between earth and sky for any hint of her scent. So it has been for two days, and finally, he thinks he's caught the trail. Tail waving gently, the Beta pushes past the northern border of the pack, inhaling eagerly the faint hints of Diane's scent. He picks his way along her trail, diligently following it, until he is hit with the force of a wrecking ball and thrown aside.

The wind goes out of him in a whoosh, his ears ring with the sudden impact and his body smarts from where it hit the ground. He's barely able to regain his feet before he's bowled over again, and this time, the cut and sting of daggers in flesh makes him cry out in agony. Growling and whimpering all at the same time, the Beta wolf struggles to get purchase, sinks his teeth into a mass of coarse brown fur, but is flung aside. He's only an average sized wolf, and this is one large mother grizzly with a bone to pick.

The fight lasts only a few minutes more, though it feels like eons. He manages a few more hits on the defensive sow, but ultimately he falls to bludgeoning paws and rending jaws. When she's finished with him, the wolf is but a bleeding heap on the ground, his life draining rapidly, and the last thing he thinks of before his light winks out is Diane's face.