The Bracken Woods ride on through the night ride on

Wildfire left the territory before the sun was up properly, having woken from a terrible dream about Gavriel rejecting her again (much more horribly this time). Unable to go back to sleep, she left her mate's warmth and headed north, the sunrise warming her right flank as she aimed for some woods with the intention to hunt. Feeling exhausted despite herself, she curled up between the roots of an old and aromatic false cedar instead, tumbling into sleep.

An indeterminate amount of time later, a voice woke her with a start. "W-what?" she blurted sleepily, blinking owlishly before quickly pushing herself onto all fours. Groggy and sleep-warm, Wildfire scanned her surroundings, her eyes landing on a black wolf half a dozen yards away.