Felltree Marsh Duck Hunt

boldness had come to her that morn, boldness stirred by Lily and her kindness, the garden that was hers and unbelonging to any other. she'd left her little perimeter of comfort, and then gone further, beyond the pack borders and into the marsh, where she knew others would rarely go and her chance of solitude would be highest. here she wandered, first in search of plants and then merely for the sake of wandering when the snow came. it was unseasonable, but she supposed winter must always have the last word. 

the man she came across suddenly - her awareness had not been exceedingly bright in the first place, sure as she was of her solitude in the murky place, and he moved with an easy grace and quiet. she paused, stilling, as she was surely in his path and sight, and her boldness fled like hare before dogs, already feeble to begin with. she folded in on herself, drooping, ears slicked back to her crown and tail curling tight to her abdomen, hoping that he, like the rest, would see the utter threat and look through her, wandering on.