Blackfeather Woods meet me on the battlefield, even on the darkest night

The large wolf says something. A word that should be familiar but only causes her to blink a few times. The rest goes unacknowledged, unfocused, as she plays with the first word in her head. Even in her thoughts, Qilaq struggles to form the sounds to make it happen. She quickly gives it up, slowly uncurling her limbs to peer upward at the dark male. 

He resembles her mother, perhaps only in color, but that doesn’t make her limbs open and welcoming. Her ears press back against her head and she shuffles a few steps away. The night sky does little to offer any illumination and the wind has died down so the thick, humid heat of the night makes her struggle for air. She swings her head around to look at the den in the distance, wondering if she can make it before he’s able to catch her, but her legs won’t propel her forward enough to accomplish it.