Swiftcurrent Creek Under the kitchen lights, you still look like dynamite

@Tiercel was somewhere behind her, no doubt causing a racket in pursuit. For all the enthusiasm and energy her black-furred child possessed, she was stuck with stubby legs and couldn't possibly keep up with a Wylla who wanted to keep just out of her sight. Thanks, Lusca, for your long legs and fleet body. She scampered along the creek's edge, mindful of the slippery rocks, and left her scent against the trees as she shouldered roughly past them. This was tracking practice for her daughter, but it was educational on more than one level, for Wylla had a plan.

Without warning, she collapsed in the center of a clearing where the creek could be heard but not seen. She hit the ground hard on her shoulder, but kept her face impassive, even though it smarted. She skidded lightly on the dirt before coming to a halt, nearly face-down and looking very much like she'd been conked out by an anvil dropping on her head. Drawing a painfully slow breath in through her nostrils, Wylla felt her rib cage go still and lightly closed her eyes as she awaited Tiercel's arrival.