Blacktail Deer Plateau I call through the fog

Atticus did not sleep in a den. It was unnatural for a wolf, though it was understandably convenient for those with pups to care for, or those who treated and healed the sick or wounded, or for those who simply wanted a safe, cozy place to curl up at night. He himself didn't like the close quarters and stuffy air. It stifled him, made him feel claustrophobic and cramped. He enjoyed sleeping beneath the stars, with the cool night breezes whispering through the trees around him and gently tousling his fur with airy, invisible fingers.

Not only that, but sleeping in the open allowed him to be vigilant and aware of his surroundings. If something happened, he could hear it or see it and respond quickly, where it might otherwise pass unnoticed if he were below ground in a den. He took it upon himself to be a guardian of his pack, particularly with his brother injured and crippled for the moment. He never strayed very far from the rendezvous site where Peregrine and the kids hung out most of the time. Even at night, his senses were on keen alert for anything out of the ordinary.

And something most definitely was out of the ordinary. He heard footfalls moving through the trees. Someone was running. Running very fast. His head jerked up, and a blinking, bleary-eyed glimpse revealed Blue Willow tearing past the tree among whose lumpy roots he rested, running at full-tilt through the night as if something murderous was hot on her tail. That was all it took to wake him up; he went from sleepy and confused to instantaneously wide-eyed, breathing rapidly, adrenaline zinging like silver ice through his veins. Immediately he took off after her, but he didn't chase her -- rather, he loped behind her, looking for whatever was after her. He saw nothing, though, and after a moment, all was silent again. He emerged into a starlit clearing, the dew-kissed grass sparkling in the pale moonlight as if sprinkled with so many countless diamonds. Looking around, he called softly, "Blue…? Where are you?"