Chapter 2: Dawn is Breaking

She awoke in the morning warm but hungry. The young woman rekindled her dying fire and set out to go find some morning breakfast. Being skilled with hunting and having the best of senses, she caught her breakfast of rabbit in a matter of minutes. With a roaring fire in her small cave she roasted the rabbit and ate until she was satisfied. The rest was put into an outer pocket of her light parka where the meat was sure to freeze on this abnormally cold arctic spring day.

The Ookami set out in her wolf-demon form and kept a decent speed of 20 miles per hour; fast enough to reach her destination quickly, slow enough to not tire her out completely tonight. When the sun began to hide behind the mountains, and bathe the frosty land in red light, she began to search for a shelter. She made good time, about half of the way there, but she was beginning to tire. Seeing no cave or thicket in sight, she dug out a snow dome. The Ookami shifted human and built a roaring fire in which to defrost her rabbit meat from that morning. Upon eating her fill she tossed the baggie back into the snow to have for morning. She kept the fire going, as the ambient heat was keeping her warm in her roomy dome and snuggled up in her fleecy jacket and toasty pants. The female ookami stared at the fire for a long while before sleep finally overtook her. Sleep, however, did not come without unwanted intrusions of malicious dreams. The demons of her sleep haunted her, the wolves of the north had invaded her small yokai village. Any hanyo or ookami, any Inu-Yokai or Kitsune did not make it out alive. The young demon woke with a yelp. Breathing fast she pulled her knees to her chest trying to calm herself.

"Just a dream, just a dream." She assured herself.

"our kit is safe." Her beast spoke.

"How do you know? We're nowhere near him!" she retorted.

"do you trust me?" her beast asked.

"yes…I guess…" she sighed.

"Good. Dawn is breaking. We must get moving if we are to make it by tonight." Her beast spoke.

She complied.