Jade Fern Grove Blinded

She'd steered far clear of the Emberwood, afraid that the hunchback lurked nearby. The lake had been so peaceful, though, and she wondered whether she'd see Gannet again. She liked his quiet, calm presence, and wanted to learn more about herbs at a more appropriate time of day. Alas, though. He wasn't there.

Lily was about to turn for home again when screeching in the grove nearby caught her attention. Moved by curiosity, and a maternal kind of fear she could not yet name, she broke into a slow trot--becoming more like a waddle day by day--heading as quickly as was comfortable toward the noise. She didn't make out many words in the scuffle, just the sound of blows and hollers.

The blackbird crept through the brush, afraid to burst in at the wrong time. She was naught but a pair of blinking orange eyes in the ferns, searching for the fuss. Wait--there!

The dark burly girl did battle with a pair of rangy coyotes, all of them snarling and bristling. Lily ducked even lower, still watching. She didn't want to pick a fight--not ever, but especially not now. She would wait until this blew over. . .or until she felt compelled to intervene on the wolf's behalf.