Noctisardor Bypass goddess of the hunt

For the first time in days, Haunt woke without a severe headache. Her head still hurt, yet she could stand up and move around without feeling like she might pass out, throw up or worse. Now she became aware of the wounds on her neck; they were mostly healed and itched fiercely. Trying not to rattle her head too much, she sat and reached up a hind leg, groaning deeply as her nails raked over the knitting flesh.

After the itch ceased, she set her foot on the ground and sat up straighter, looking around herself. She had been pretty disoriented for a while, though now her head felt a little clearer too. Haunt could not remember what had happened the night she'd hit her head, though she vaguely remembered running off with @Vex to track @Kaertok. When she thought of their father now, it left her feeling very hollow.

Licking her chops, she pushed onto all fours and began to meander through the bypass. She checked on her neglected caches, then considered trying to hunt some small game. She thought about her efforts to capture something to set aside for her father but let go of that idea with a sigh that resonated in her core. He wasn't coming back and @Arbiter wouldn't let her go after him. It was a lost cause.

Something flashed in the trees ahead, scattering Haunt's thoughts and making her freeze watchfully. Her yellow eyes widened as she watched a young doe bound away, quickly vanishing. She didn't attempt to give chase, not just because it was a lost cause but because the sight suddenly triggered the recollection of a dream. She hadn't dreamed much since her early childhood but this one had been spectacularly vivid...

"Come with me," the gray she-wolf said to Haunt, who could only stare at the antlers thrusting from her head like a crown. "I will show you how to hunt, so you can feed your children. Come, arktoi..." She bounded away into the forest, leaving Haunt no choice but to lope after her.

They came to a stop at the top of a hillock overlooking a small valley full of deer. Haunt peered down at them hungrily but her guide stayed her with a paw. "There is much to learn before we hunt, little she-bear. And you must honor me. Pay homage to Artemis and you will enjoy great success in your hunting endeavors. Do you understand, arktoi?"

Someone called her name in the present, jolting Haunt out of her recollection and earning a small wince as her temple pulsed with pain.