Blacktail Deer Plateau I am no upstart demon, scrabbling in the dirt of the soul.

Nieve was up early and already on her way back from an extended bladder break when Reyes called. Well, shrieked. There was no way every single animal in the forest wasn't awake after that. So much for maybe finding some unsuspecting mouse to snack on. With a fond snort and a toss of her golden head, she hurried through the woods to his approximate location, where she had to pause and rely on her nose and ears to carry her the rest of the way. It was easier to sniff him out without the cloying scent of salt that the coast brought.

But it was awfully lonely without that smell, too. Alien.

Oh, Ray, she greeted him quietly, sidling alongside him to press her flaxen flank companionably against his darker one. Her tail beat a soft tattoo against a nearby trunk as she peered at him, all cherubic cheeks and large blue eyes. Was he worried? She was, too. And terribly hungry, but she was loathe to admit that despite the too audible growling of her stomach. They all were. Whinging wouldn't fix that, or that's what she imagined Rosalyn might say. When do you think the sea will stop being angry?