Blacktail Deer Plateau We're in the homestretch of the hard times

After addressing Erzulie's task, Harps had gone to ground, her emotional malaise metamorphosing into a bad cough that kept her confined to her den for a stretch of days, she knew not how long. Finally, the illness passed and she resurfaced. Not only did she feel better physically, she had done a lot of thinking and processing during her bed rest. The yearling felt ready to make a fresh start in Rusalka, despite her misgivings following the three sisters' exile.

Leery of moving too quickly and losing her breath, Harps padded slowly across the breadth of the plateau. She paused beside a frozen stream, licking at the ice to slake her thirst, then raised her head and pricked her ears. She could hear footfalls fast approaching along the small riverbed. Her copper eyes flicked upstream, catching sight of a wolf in the distance coming this way and tried to figure out of it was Reyes or Rosalyn.