Dragoncrest Cliffs Leap of faith

For a while, her mind remained empty as Wildfire simply savored the peace and beauty of her surroundings. Slowly, though, thoughts began to trickle into the forefront. Her family had moved onto a new phase of life. The last one had been challenging—especially those dark early days—but she knew it would be even more intense in the coming weeks. She would have more help, it was true, but it was still Wildfire's (and her mate's) responsibility to raise these pups and integrate them into the pack. They would have to be fully weaned soon, then kept fed throughout their rapidest of growth periods.

It would give her an excuse to do a lot of small game hunting, a thought which arched Wildfire's lips as she strode along the dunes. Then a noise scattered her thoughts and she blinked her amber eyes at a magpie perched on a piece of driftwood nearby. She looked around for a moment—the beach was otherwise empty—then back to the bird with a sort of Who, me? look on her face.