The Bracken Woods ride on through the night ride on

Although she was on edge, Wildfire couldn't bite back a sudden yawn that forced her jaws to split. "Ex-excuse me," she said even as a second, smaller yawn clobbered her. She shook out her ruff, trying to wake herself up a bit more. "Same here," she responded with a faint laugh. "I mean," she clarified, "you startled me. I was asleep."

She smacked her lips quietly, trying in vain to fight a bad case of cottonmouth, and tilted her head. "You fresh out of a pack...?" she wondered, taking a step closer to the dark stranger.