Noctisardor Bypass I knew just then, I knew it was done

Wylla was officially out of the woods.

She did not succumb to fever again since reaching Rivenwood thanks to the attentive efforts of Mahler and the bracing visits of her daughter, and now the infection was gone. The wound was healing properly. She would bear the scar for life, ugly gashes on her shoulder where the fur wouldn't return, but Wylla could deal with that. After losing her eye, a scar on her shoulder was minor.

There would also be a persistent ache there, but she wasn't aware yet. It hurt because it wasn't healed yet, that was all. She pulled herself from the cave, pushing through the concealing fronds to the wild tangle of grass outside, where she flopped down under the sunlight. So far, Rivenwood remained a mystery to her, and she was admittedly anxious about having to face any of them. Even if there were few Sagtannet wolves left, Wylla fancied that every member knew of her failure as leader there. The reality was that few of them even knew her name.

She splayed her hind legs out beside her and reclined in the grass, blinking against the bright sun and eyeing a clump of grey clouds in the distance that promised rain later in the day.