Gyrfalcon's Keep Clé go mo feistí féin (Left to my own devices)

Erika had wandered from place to place after leaving her pack, a hopefully temporary state. Her pregnancy weighed her down, as if there was a sack of rocks in her stomach. Her pups kicked gently, though they were rough when she was agitated or stressed. From their kicks, there were probably two or three of the rascals. Sometimes she would murmur softly to them, chuckling at their soft insistencies. "Mon Dieu. Bébés, là a pas lieu d'être rugueux..."

Though she was reluctant to, she walked onto the mountains, hoping to find a cave of some sort to shade her from the heat. Heat was not good for pregnant women or puppies. The terrain had changed subtly from sand to mountain when she saw a dark brown figure slumped on the mountainside. She stiffened, wondering if it was Kaname, the dark assassin who was the first to question her.