Sleepy Fox Hollow saturday

She placed the tall reeds in a still offshoot the creek, anchoring them to the ground by placing several heavy rocks upon them. Her feet and muzzle were freezing cold in the water, but she knew it needed to be done. Once she was satisfied, she retired to her den to lick her feet dry so that she could warm up again.

A howl interrupted her cleanup. Not a voice Fiona recognized, either. Very curious. Her toes still partially numb, but functional, she set out toward the outer reaches of the shaky claim on the hollow. The girl who stood there looked like she'd been through the runner, and Fiona's gaze hardened. They had taken in one useless mouth to feed, and the young dark girl had also stolen Etienne's hunting work for their already limited caches.

Fiona took a note from Anselm's book. Her face was hard and her tail lashing when she confronted the girl. We can't help you, she said flatly. They could barely help themselves.