Porcupine Ridge misery

ever since the would-be usurpers had been repulsed, vuk had taken to visiting diane each day, to see how she was healing. the rest of her time was spent in hunting, and pondering jhala's words on the handsome beta male.

though she did not know it, the patterned girl was only a handful of weeks from her first heat. while she had been granted no permissions to breed, vuk did allow herself a daydream from time to time of what motherhood might be like, though she practically did not dwell upon that.

dawn found the girl upon the ridge, gazing out over the broad expanse of woodland spreading in all directions.