Just Keep Going Your Own Way

A storm had gripped the lands once again. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been during the summer, though she couldn't help but be reminded of how long those weeks had been, trapped inside the den with a very pregnant -- and very afraid -- Novel. She was so thankful they had persevered, and that the two sons that they had decided to raise together were healthy and strong.


Their rapidly growing bodies, however, demanded nourishment. Soon they would begin to hunt alongside their mothers, but this time it seemed best to keep them in their den, away from the storm's rain and wind. She would nuzzle Novel and the boys gently in farewell before slipping from the shelter, heading slightly east, toward the lands she had once lived in. Now that they had moved, food was slightly more plentiful here, though she wondered if she would have difficulty finding something for her family to eat in the rain.


The journey was a short one, and she found herself instinctively ducking to and fro beneath whatever vegetation she could find to keep herself relatively dry. Nose twitched as she searched for the scent of prey -- nothing large, but even a few large rodents would do for now. But her attention was captured by the scent of a stranger. Instantly she felt the fur along her spine bristle, her senses heightening drastically as her head swung to the side, searching for him. He was little more than a blur of dark fur in the distance, blurred by the rain that still fell from the skies. "Hello?" she called out tentatively, her voice guarded, hiding any emotion she might've felt upon seeing a stranger.