Swiftcurrent Creek We’re going to need a bigger boat

open to all.

One fish, two fish, red fish, b-

She patted the heads of Caliste, Leonore, Saturin, nestled in for bed. Among the tangle of limbs and full bellies she searched for her tan son, turning Saturin over and nudging Caliste aside to see if perhaps he’d simply been at the bottom of the heap. 

Shark? 

No answer from the one who usually got a pat on the head and nicknamed “blue fish.” 

Stay here, sweet t’ings, She said, concern lacing her voice. 

Out into the blue hour she went, sniffing for any trace of her son’s scent. It was here and there- and she tried to track down all the places he had gone throughout the pack territory until she realized with disdain that his scent disappeared along the banks of the water. 

She tried not to panic. There was a possibility that he had gone in, all four feet, to get a drink and when he had emerged, his scent had been camouflaged. It did not mean that the current had carried him away but when she stepped in, she inhaled sharply. 

The water was freezing cold, and surprisingly fast. 

She called out, knowing that Caliste, Leonore and Saturin would hear her voice and the worry that caused it to tremble. 

I can’t find Shark. Has anybody seen him? She howled. His tracks are by the creek, She howled again. Code, she hoped, that her three present children would not understand. But for all the adults in the pack who knew the creek and its dangers, she hoped they might make haste if their were available and help her search.