Redtail Rise LXX

Moon Runner lay in the shallow den of her birth with Mother as she knocked on death’s door. She looked like a beached sea animal on the shore: sun-stricken, starving, and gasping for air. Her meager, feverish frame was weak and every breath was labored.

The young wolf slipped in and out of consciousness. At first, she couldn’t tell if Wren’s voice was real or a hallucination. Her sunken amber eyes rolled open and then filled with fear.

Intruder!!!

Moon Runner let out an animal noise. Her frail head lifted, black lips curled, but she did not have the strength to fight off the stranger’s approach. The girl had only ever known the wild way: medicine and diplomacy were both foreign concepts and she would never have dreamed to ask for help outside the pack.

A parcel of plants. A calm voice.

Moon Runner whimpered, crying, as she looked for Father, Mother, and Wealda’s guidance. What was happening?