Meadowlark Prairie my face turned pale as deadly pale

He had not thought it possible to be free of the woods, not after the small incident with the ghost, and yet here he was trailing after the others. That first step beyond the darkness of the trees was a liberating one; even though his hindquarters quaked and he was moving at a pace much slower than the others. Mou's path trailed after the dark girl Astara, mostly because she too was lagging behind the core group. The boy had to take frequent pauses and sometimes would try to kick his hind legs behind him, one after another, as if to wake them up. The pins and needles sensation had a varying intensity but he couldn't be left behind when Relmyna called them all together. He was a Melonii now — they were his people.

The dawn light catches on a distant figure and Mou's sleepy gaze lingers on it. The family is gathering. Beneath the rise where the stranger is perched there is Relmyna, and around her are the dark figures of the other wolves of Blackfeather. They flock like crows, and Mou's heart grows warm. He is looking for Maegi but doesn't see her yet.

Soon Mou has joined the others and he slinks among them until his legs are too tired, and then he finds Astara again, and upon seeking her out he rests on his haunches beside her. They were both tired things, both recovering, and it helped that she was one of the few Blackfeather wolves that he was comfortable with; the rest were recognizable at best. Mou wondered if he'd be able to participate in this endeavor or if he would be sidelined by his many ailments; he was after all, half blind and more weather-worn by the storm of life than many.