Bearclaw Valley the valley of unrest

she knows the border is important. it's in her bones, this invisible line between the outside and Ursus. this is where their scent begins and proliferates throughout the valley; beyond it, their influence fades, and eventually grows into other claims. like that of the over-friendly woman and the wolves her parents had fought.

Avicus thinks they might come back, these new foes. sometimes she thinks the mountain woman will stir again for revenge against Astara. she feels constantly edgy since the skirmish by the standing stones, and today she brings herself to the mouth of the valley, pacing.

they are safe on all sides but this one. large rock walls keep them in, and their enemies out. but where the valley opens up to the flowers, they are exposed.

she smells urine, recognizing some of the scents—her sire, her dam, the healer. . . she adds her own to the mix, squatting and releasing a trickle upon the ground. her nostrils flare as she finishes. maybe it's just her imagination, but even her waste smells wary and on edge.

maybe that's not good. but how did one inject confidence into their own piss?

she'd have to ask her father. he reeked of swagger.