Horizon Ridge Scratch scratches

As a hunter and former naturalist, Saena ought to have recognized the signs of an impending famine. Perhaps because she was too stubborn and bullheadedly afraid of admitting the worst, the Alpha female fought against the inevitable acceptance of that truth. Even Spring's conviction that there was a crisis fell on somewhat deaf ears. "We'll find a way," was all the Alpha could say, and her confidence in that, completely unfounded, was for the moment unshakeable.

But the Gamma had a point that even bullheaded Saena had to agree with. Finding unaffected land would greatly improve their ability to rebuild what they'd lost in Phoenix Maplewood. "I agree," she said at length, turning an eye back on her children to monitor them momentarily. "We'll follow the coast 'til we're clear of the mountains that way and then head away from the sea." Casmir's brief offer of seeking refuge in Donnelaith drifted through her mind, but with Donnelaith as close to the sea as Horizon Ridge and not so terribly far from where they were resting, Saena had doubts that the forest was still in good shape.

Chances were, Lasher couldn't offer her and her pack anything, and the effort seeking them would be wasted. "We will need to be smarter about hunting," she suggested, but of course, Saena didn't know the half of it. That the prey would become next to nonexistent was a tragedy she was unwilling to acknowledge presently.