Goodnight Moon and Goodnight You

She was unaware of her follower. The girl watching the sky that spread out across the ocean. She could feel the warmth and humidity in the air, ears flicking to catch the faint sounds of approaching thunder. Not only that, but her nose twitched with the detection of rain somewhere on the horizon. It was serene...calm...she could sit here forever just thinking. But what about? She had so many things. She was growing older, her usual playful self seemingly diminishing over time. Much more so since the night she had conceived Valefor. Valefor... She had named it. And afterwards, hadn't said a single word to the boy since they came to Fiori. Her mind constantly fought with itself, part of it wanting to blame the boy, branding him as a reminder of that night. The other part of her mind knew it wasn't his fault...he was innocent. She blew out a puff of air, frowning as she thought more about things like her place in the world...her past...her memories...

She'd been sitting there for the better part of an hour, at last the first signs of rainfall came down upon the earth. Her pelt grew damp as it began with a light drizzle, thunder sounding around her but the lightning remained unseen. She was content to sit here for a while longer, but she knew that she ought to head back to her den soon, or at least find somewhere to hole up until the rain stopped else she catch a cold. Yawning, she let out a sneeze that otherwise threatened to consume her. She wasn't ready to leave quite yet though...

And through all her thoughts and the rain that fell, she failed to detect a presence that was sneaking towards her. With her back turned towards the creature, she had no idea what was coming. Ears flicked off the rain that accumulated, eyes remained focuses ahead. And as if on cue, a flash of light in the sky followed by a thunderous roar would start it all. Ashelia's head whipped around, eyes widening as her breath and heart stopped. She was frozen, and even if she could move she knew she wouldn't be able to move fast enough.

Leaping right for her, was a mountain lion. The creature was hungry, starving even and desperate for anything it could get its claws on. Before she knew it, her eyes shut out the world around her. Time seemed to stop, and she couldn't even feel the rain nor hear the roars of thunder and the lion intermixed anymore...the girl waited for death to come, along with all the pain it brought.

Except...it never came. Almost as soon as it happened, she heard a vicious growl and the thudding of bodies on the ground. Her eyes opened to find that the lion was no longer coming at her, but facing off with another wolf. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, the girl confused when she heard the man call out her name. Telling her to run. Pulling herself together as much as she could, she barely managed to fumble out of reach just as the wolf and the lion wrestled and rolled right on the spot she had been just moments before. She watched in horror at the scene before her, blood mixing with the rain.