Sleepy Fox Hollow Rockabye [m]

As she slept, she felt the beginnings of a dream enter her mind. She was in the mouth of a cave, but not from the Web that weaved underneath Blackfeather. It lacked the familiar bioluminescent glow of the mushrooms and glowworms that decorated the floor and ceiling of the Web. No, this cave was dark, opening like a creature's maw, swallowing all of the light from the outside. From inside, Potema heard strange noises. Laughter, singing, foreign, wicked chants. Pawsteps, the snap of jaws. Screams. And yet she was compelled to go forth into the cave. She took one step, but paused as the flapping of wings grew closer and closer. She could see a shape in the darkness heading towards her. A creature of darkness flew into her face, cawing.

Potema jolted awake, her single eye wide with curiosity and fear. Mongfionn hopped off of her back, murmuring in a soft tone. Someone here! Creep toward you. Fionn's sentences were not as elaborate as her mother's, who could spit harsh rhetoric in both the bird and wolf tongue with ease, but the message was clear. Her sapphire eye adjusted quickly to the dark and focused on the wolf-like shape in close proximity. The girl rose to her feet, ignoring the pain in her pawpads. This might be a fight, for all she knew. "What do you want?" She tried to be icily calm like her mother, but felt flames burning inside her with the anger that someone had snuck up on her, and that someone had ruined her nap. Ice-fire, then.