She tumbled through a blur of green, following her senses towards the child. It smelled raw, chilled, like meat frozen into snow. She hungered for this infant; longed for it in her bones. And as it came into view, she called out to her pack.
She was near, but with morning dew-drops slippery beneath her paws, it was the Beta who reached the human first. He dove forwards sticking his snout right inside the bundle. Mountainous, shaggy, drooling, he loomed, but the child did not scare. It sat up tall and defiant, and reached out to pet the beast.
Kin.
All the Beta's senses went wild – this child was the pack's kin. Just as they had thought. It was theirs. Why it was in this dense forest, away from the safety of the village, was another matter.
The Beta growled a little and moved aside so the child's mother could pet her.
Phasing out, Allison sat bare among the leaf litter, pulling her baby close for warmth and comfort. She could barely believe those little chubby legs could have ambled this far, but her toddler was known for bursts of terrifying speed when she saw something she wanted. Could this have been the reason she escaped her family? They would have to watch this girl more intensely.
The pack shifted around them for warmth. The child shivered in her arms, but giggled as a rough wolf tongue lapped over her forehead. Someone else let baby hands become tangled in their fur.
She could no longer hear her pack's mental thread, but even human, Allison could sense the Alpha's nearing presence.
He strutted forwards, tail held high and ears alert. A big brute, he stalked towards the womenfolk, paws crunching into the splintered branches and stiff grass. Other pack members seemed to fade into her periphery as Allison's focus piqued on her mate. Copying the Beta, he too stuck his nose deep into the blankets, then pulled out to nuzzle the child's neck.
With one snort to the pack, the Alpha's eyes willed mother and child to safety. Another wolf accompanied them back towards the village.