Luneshale Pass But I'm writing this at 3 a.m.

A few days into her new desert life, Disa woke up restless. Her body had become accustomed to always being just a little on edge, and the effect of packmates and territory on a system tuned for solo survival was a sudden craving for drama. Nothing extreme – she would settle for a tango with something that could kill her, and the desert had a lot of that to offer.

Scorpions everywhere rejoiced when Kemal called her to the hunt instead. Bison. Saliva flooded Disa's mouth at the mere thought, and she left shining ropes of it on the hot ground, there and gone in seconds, as she ran toward the day's expedition.

He was standing with a female that she had recognized by scent only – a slim, red-brown creature that turned out to be missing an eye. She would not be taking point if Disa had anything to say about it.

"The herd west of here?" the desert newcomer asked. She had intended the question for Kemal, but the crater in Safiya's pretty face kept pulling her attention. She wondered if her fur had hidden the blood.

"Big." Said absently. She was staring now. "Ambitious."