Swiftcurrent Creek Beasts of Burden

If Jinx could not be found, it was intentional. The mambo sought solitude, shying away from company whenever it drew near. A slow week or so had passed, and in that time, the Kesuk warrior had wandered the territory in a state very unlike her usual self. With what had happened with Haunter tucked away in the dark recesses of her mind where she dare not consult it, her thoughts turned inward once more, reflecting on the lives lost to the cougar that day.

But as hours stretched into days, and days passed uneventfully, Jinx began the slow process of healing. The fevered delirium brought on by the state of her wounds had long since faded with Lecter's previous tending, which was part of the reason she had locked any memory of what Haunter had done into her mind where she couldn't see it. It had been a fever-dream of the shaman that had got her into that situation... That, and an unyielding desperation. The desperation was gone, the fever was gone, and even the sharp edge of grief had dulled its blade ever so slightly. She was able to peek out from her mental prison, so that Tuwawi would find her in a rare moment of clarity.

Even before the assault on the mountain lion, Jinx had been partial to sleeping outdoors, but she had dug a hidden den in preparation for the birthing. That den served no purpose now, but despite being an outdoor creature at heart, she had taken to hiding in its darkness to escape the worry of her pack mates. She lay outside it today, its entrance blocked by her body. She was unmoving, still not ready to resume any of her usual activity what with her injuries, both internal and external, but she noticed Tuwawi drawing near and her head lifted to acknowledge the Zeta. It was the first non-delirious encounter since the miscarriage.

But she didn't say anything, in part because she knew not what to say, and in part because she expected more pity and didn't know how she would react to it. Although the unsteadiness of her sanity the past few days had begun to correct itself, she was nevertheless still volatile. This would become very evident in days to come. For right now, the Kesuk was calm, collected, and lucid, but still distant and unpredictable.