The power hit me faster than ever, and I learned my secret many days after the escape from my human prison. The lead lady knew by now that I was gone, but I didn't care. In the dark of the cave, where Vixen was washing the youngest of the kits-whom I'd freed from a hunter's trap-I couldn't see enough. I slipped outside, brushing my black tail along the oldest cub's spine, and transformed into my human self. I took my bag from its place, beginning yet another poem:
I am burning yet quiet.
I wonder how long I will stay here.
I hear quiet yips of the cubs as they play.
I see a red tail every time I wake up.
I want to reach beyond the little patch of land that Vixen allows us to.
I am burning yet quiet.
I pretend that I am one with the skulk
I feel like I am not where I truly need to be.
I touch the earth with my senseless paws.
I worry about the kits.
I cry to myself at night over the silence without end.
I am burning yet quiet.
I understand the strength needed for Vixen to care for us.
I say "Silence is good," though I miss the sound of the river rushing nearby.
I dream that one day the wild will become one with me.
I try so hard to do what I am supposed to.
I am burning yet quiet.
I left again the next day, praying that I'd find a better place to stay. Little did I know, there was still an animal in need of my help.