Sun Mote Copse But when your load gets heavy, maybe call it a night

As soon as her voice tapered away into silence, she perked her ears for a response. She didn't realize how much she'd considered a callback a foregone conclusion until none came. Wildfire blinked and thought about renewing the howl, yet what was the point? Kiwi must be out of earshot. It wasn't altogether too strange, yet it made the Sovereign's heart sink a little in her chest.

She was distracted by something smacking into her rear end. Wildfire jumped a little and turned around, her heart lifting a little when she saw Elfie. "Did'ja knock your noggin?" she teased. "Were you following me, Elfie?" She didn't mind; the pups were around the age where they would venture further afield, with supervision but soon without it. "Maybe one day you'll be a good tracker, although we may want to work on your endgame." Despite feeling as under the weather as she did, Wildfire managed an incandescent smile for her young son.