Scared of the dark

It was late at night, her mother was still working with the injured and hadn’t come home. It had rained, and passed again, and the fire had at last gone out. Still, she felt like she could hear the crackling of the flames, and feel the heat. Every time she closed her eyes, she was certain a wall of fire was about to envelope her, and would wake with a soft cry.

The den was empty, she wasn’t sure where Poem was, and Epitaph and Shaye where helping the injured, and she knew they would be for a long time yet.

She got up and looked for her mother, but she was holding down a burnt wolf, yelling orders, and Motif tried to get close, only to smell burning flesh. “Honey, go to bed!” her mother yelled at her, and she didn’t need much encouragement, she turned and ran from the scene. She didn’t go to bed, she couldn’t sleep, and the dark was for once no comfort.

She wondered about the territory, looking for Canni, without the thicket, she wasn’t sure where to find her friend. It wasn’t until she found the tree by the rapids, that hung over into the thickets, high enough up that it didn’t seem to have gotten singed. She caught the scent of Canni here and sat at the base of the tree, looking up, hoping to see her friend. “Canni?” she asked gently, already deciding that if Canni didn’t reply, she would sleep at the tree trunk regardless. She didn’t want to go home.