Blackfoot Forest A canopy of shivers

Pied couldn't simply leave without a word, not without being absolutely certain of Bon Dye's fate. After her encounter with Ame in the meadow, she thusly returned to the bleak Blackfoot Forest. In any case, she couldn't just disappear without talking to Hawkeye. Although the recollection of their trip to the Dragonwatchers' borders still left Pied feeling cold all over, she considered Hawkeye to be a true friend. She wanted to stick together if they could. If not, Pied at least wanted to discuss what would happen now if Jinx and Bon Dye really were dust in the wind.

Night fell early, bringing with it frigid temperatures and a chill that sank deep into the marrow of Pied's small bones. When she reached the edge of the woods, she slunk directly toward her log. En route, though, she smelled meat and tracked the scent to a game trail that cut through the dense underbrush of the forest. She found a dead possum strewn across the towpath, half its body eaten by some unknown predator. The famished yearling was not picky and quickly bolted down the remains.

Sighing, Pied now headed to her log. Instead of immediately climbing inside and curling up into a ball, she tilted her pale head toward the sky to look for any sign of Mag. She didn't see the bird but, through the naked, black treetops, she saw an indigo sky salted with stars. It was a cold view, yet as Pied's gaze traced over the crescent moon hung like an ornament off to the east, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace.