Bearclaw Valley follow me into the golden wild

the valley still felt too big. too open, too loud, too… full. twitch hated it. well—no, not hated. she just wasn’t used to it. back home, she’d never known life like this. she’d always been on the outskirts, kept herself scarce, quiet. and now she was here. in it. surrounded. pressed in on all sides by wolves she didn’t really know, mountains she didn't know, and it gnawed at her nerves like teeth on bone.

so she kept moving. her paws cut shallow lines into the frosted earth as she crept along the valley’s edge, close enough to still see the others, but far enough that she wouldn’t be noticed or draw attention. the morning air burned her lungs with every breath, her limbs aching from a sleepless nights. she hadn’t found comfort in the dens yet. didn’t feel like she belonged in them.

a crow cawed overhead, and twitch flinched. her ears flattened tight to her skull, and she cursed herself under her breath. get a grip. she was fine. she was fine.

…still, she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until a shape moved in the corner of her vision. her head snapped toward it, fur bristling, gaze sharp.