The Sentinels In this burning house

@Mordecai — in case daddy's still tagging along. :D

It was well past nightfall and Larkspur had already given up for the day—they had been combing the shoreline thoroughly for days, searching for any sign of Pippin—when the wind picked up suddenly and changed direction, blowing north along the seaboard. There was a thick copse of trees further south along the coastline and from it came a myriad of scents that caused the dozing youth to open her eyes and sit up straight. "Deirdre!" she exclaimed under her breath, jumping to her feet and loping mindlessly in the direction of the distant wood.

Spur was sheltered but she was still smart and her instincts worked well enough. She knew better than to go running into another pack's territory. When the scents grew particularly strong near the edge of the tree line, she dug her heels into the earth and stood back. She considered whether it was too late to howl for her friend. But before Larkspur could even contemplate that long, she froze, listening to light footfalls coming from within the nearby forest.