Sleeping Dragon i have watched holy men immolate on the banks of Nile

Ever since the commander's return, Wildfire had felt on edge. It was a relief to have Thuringwethil back home, of course, but the Bandrona couldn't stop worrying about her mate's omen: "I think something bad is going to happen." They were both restless, she noted, as if waiting for a hammer to fall. Yet the December days drifted past uneventfully like the snow that floated softly through the air and blanketed the ground, announcing the official arrival of winter.

When Wildfire awoke around dawn, Thuringwethil was missing from their cave. But this was not particularly unusual, especially these past few days, so the Bandrona did her best to swallow her anxiety. She emerged from the den and began hunting for breakfast, hoping that she and her mate could convene over a warm meal. The trapper became so consumed in her hunt that she entirely forgot about the recent foreboding atmosphere.

Then the smell of smoke tickled her nostrils, throwing her off her game. Wildfire stopped and glanced upward, brows knitted, when the earth began to tremble. She had slept through the previous earthquake, so this sensation was entirely new to her. It triggered her fight-or-flight response and she attempted to bolt, only to lose her footing and fall, once more scuffing her scabbed elbows. She grunted and decided to cling to the earth until the rumbling passed, her eyes squeezing shut. Somewhere in there, she heard her mate's abortive cry and a jolt of fear speared through her.

When she was finally able to climb back to her feet, her legs felt jellylike and she stumbled a few times when she began running again. Wildfire immediately galloped toward the source of the Heda's howl, spurred on by a second and yet more urgent message. Thuringwethil commanded her wolves to flee to the north. The yearling obediently corrected her course. By the time she arrived at the place where the rest gave way to the forested hollow due north of Sleeping Dragon, she was breathless not only from exertion and fear but also the raw realization that they would not be going back.