I apologize if this chapter only makes sense to me. I've been sick for the past five days, so naturally I have had lots of time to finish this chapter. I have slightly more important things that still need done, but I missed Kar.

And yes, Fell is in this one.

I think the font changes are pretty self-explanatory, but here's a clarification anyhow.

Thoughts/Visions

Morgra

'Fell talking in his head', because he's just crazy like that

The Kerl~

Chapter 7

"Clinging to the remnants of perfection like most do before they break it,

Not knowing which direction's the correct one –

Do I discard or remake it?

'Cause if I don't know, then I don't know.

But I may know someone who knows me more than I

And if I somehow rest this soul

Maybe control can find its way back to my life."

– Curl Up and Die, Relient K

Larka

With the fallible mind of the Varg comes a less than perfect memory. There were the faces, moments that I knew would stay with me for the rest of my days. There were also the ones I knew that I should remember, but drew a blank instead. I knew there were no more latent memories that the passage of time would allow me to recover. What I knew, I knew. For instance; I could clearly remember fighting Morgra at Harja. I remember the taste of her dingy fur in my mouth and the sound of my heart pounding when I first realized that the bridge was crumbling beneath us, but by Tor I couldn't remember why we'd been fighting there in the first place.

I suppose it must have been important, because I nearly died that day. I would have to remember things more accurately in the future.

Kar and I were slowly making our way back through the tree line when Skop found us. His ears stood on end and his tail wagged so furiously that I thought his hind paws were actually bouncing in place. There is only one thing in the world that could bring such joy to a young wolf.

"Larka! Kar! Mother's just told us we're to go for our first hunt tomorrow!" At her brother's voice, little Larka rushed over to us and was nearly bowled over by Khaz in the process. Only Kipcha was strangely absent. I looked around to find her sitting quietly with Huttser. My confusion turned to embarrassment as soon as I realized that the cubs were all speaking to me.

" – and I'm going to wake up before sunrise, even if – "

" – and they said that you two have to come – "

"Larka, you need to tell her that she's being silly because – "

" – but what happens if we don't find anything to hunt?"

" – because if you two don't come, Father will be very – "

" – although I told him that I bet I can track better than he can – "

" – but I told him he can't because I always sneak up on him and AAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Skop's yelp turned into a growl as Kar leapt upon the first cub he could find. He had Skop pinned to the ground by his shoulders, but Khaz soon removed his brother's attacker. Kar was flipped over by the unexpected assault. Larka, who'd scrambled out of the pile, gave a ferocious (for her) growl and dove into the writhing mass of males at my feet. Kipcha, unsure about whether or not she wanted to join her siblings, carefully tread over to the tussle. Skop wriggled out and was preparing to renew his attack when I carefully nudged him out of the way and into his sister.

With a bored yawn I flung myself upon Kar, who'd just managed to right himself by placing his forepaws upon the upturned bellies of Larka and Khaz. Kar cried out in surprise, more from the fact that he'd expected a much lighter Skop to come at him than me. He toppled over, pinned between the squirming cubs and my dea-weight. I did my best to feign sleep while everyone tried to push me off of the top of the pile. In the end I found myself at the bottom of a new mound, my muzzle pressed to the ground. How did I end up all the way down here? Without looking I knew who was directly above me. I could feel the laughter resonating from his chest through my back.

And it was time for payback. How many stories had he told the cubs in the past few days – all at my expense?

Under the crushing weight of Kar and – if the sound of Kipcha's giggling from directly overhead meant anything – all four of my younger siblings, I managed to twist around so that my head was directly under Kar's neck. I opened my jaws around the soft fur and softy clamped down enough that he could feel the pressure of my teeth through his coat. The resulting growl was something I'd never heard from him before. This was so much more than a playful sound. Interesting. I released him and instead licked the length of his throat. He whimpered and began scrabbling about to topple the mound of bodies off of the both of us. I heard shouts of protest coming from all sides as I was finally given room to stand up.

"Well done, Larka. I think we may make a Putnar of you yet." I realized that Huttser and Palla were both shaking with laughter. I knew it was from my rather impressive display of my feminine wiles, but why did they have to bring up that sore point again?

The only words that came to mind were an indignant, "I am perfectly capable of hunting for myself." Now you sound like Skop. How very mature of you.

"Of course you can," interjected a grumpy Kar. It was about time he stood up for me. "You hunt fine, Larka. You just prefer to let others do it for you."

I growled in response. Nobody questioned my abilities, even if they thought themselves immune to my wrath. "Well if that's how you feel about it, I'll just have to prove you wrong, won't I?"

Our argument lasted much longer than it needed to, but we were both unwilling to back down. Eventually Huttser berated Kar for putting me on his bad side 'when they all knew that we weren't the fighting type'. We paused then, thinking back to the long arguments my parents had with each other when we were cubs. Are Kar and I really like they were? One look at his abashed expression told me we weren't. We were just playing, after all. He knew that I could care for myself just as well as I knew he was joking.

"Larka, have you ever hunted for yourself?"

"Of course! You know that I have. You and Fell saw my first kill."

"In that case, I humbly beg your forgiveness…and dare you to out-pounce Kipcha on that log over by the oak."

"I accept both your forgiveness and your challenge. Kipcha?"

The rest of the day was spent playing and preparing the cubs for their big day. Worried despite my earlier protests, I used this time to fully assess my recovery. As long as I didn't over-exert myself when jumping, I was as healthy as I'd ever been. This reassured me that I hadn't been arguing in vain with Kar. When we finally herded the young ones into the den for the night, Huttser and Palla waited outside to speak with us.

"Am I to take it that you have finally talked?" Huttser's eyes glittered in a way that I rarely saw growing up. Excluding the fleck of green, those were Fell's eyes.

Kar chuckled. "Yes, I suppose we did speak of a few things." He was giving me that look, but this time there was that something that I wasn't used to seeing in his golden eyes. It reminded me of fire, I decided. Still, the mockery was evident in his tone, so I glowered at him in response.

Palla caught out interaction and laughed. "What are your plans?" There was a sadness to her voice. She didn't want us to leave any more than we wanted to, but it was the way of nature. If we did not leave Huttser would be forced to drive us from the pack, but part of me wondered if he would really do that. It took a moment for me to realize what she was really asking, though.

I looked to Kar, who nodded. "We want to help Fell. He needs us…and to be quite honest I'm not sure why, but I know that he needs us. That is our plan." Huttser nodded his approval before turning and silently padding into the dark confines of the den. Palla followed her mate.

Kar and I padded silently to our sleeping spot beneath the tree. The night was unusually cool, so we curled up to stay warm. Kar spoke first.

"Does seeing the future ever bother you?" I met his eyes and he seemed genuinely curious. "I mean, I would imagine that if you saw something that you didn't want to happen would be upsetting, but would you rather not see anything at all?"

I had to think out my response carefully. "When I look into water with a purpose – when I know what I'm looking for – I can deal with what I see because most of the time I expect what will happen. For instance I look to see if Fell is safe. There are two possible circumstances: either he is dead or he is alive. Those are the only two things I care about, so I will see one of them. Sometimes I catch flashes, though. Those times, when I'm not concentrating, usually hurt more."

Kar was not satisfied. "Can I have an example?"

"Why?"

"Well, I want to know what you've had to see. I don't want you to keep everything inside anymore. It isn't healthy. Remember Brassa…" I sighed. He was right, but I'd never planned on telling him this. It would hurt him that I hadn't told him.

"It will only upset you. You will be angry with me"

"Angry with you? If that's the case, I'll send Larka after you. That one can bite."

Despite myself I laughed. "Like I said, these flashed are random. Normally I have to look into the water and want to see something for it to work, but other times the tiniest glimpse of water will trigger a vision. When I first found Tsarr and Skart, I spent a lot of time on my own. I hated that I'd run from Huttser and Palla and gotten you killed. I hated that Jarla nursed Bran like he was her own. I wanted to kill him. I felt like my future was already decided for me, and I hated that I didn't want any part in it. One of these visions showed me you." His ears perked slightly. "I was convinced you were dead, but there you were in the water. Your fur was different, though. Like it is now. I thought someone was trying to play a bad trick on me."

He nuzzled me, comforting me with his presence. I took a breath and continued. "When you came back, I knew that the Sight would never lie to me. Everything I'd seen came true. Then, before Harja – " my voice broke, but I was determined to tell him now. "It was raining that night. I wasn't looking anywhere in particular, just wondering what was going to happen to us all. I saw – saw the bridge." I couldn't go on as I remembered the terror I'd felt that night.

Kar inhaled sharply. "You mean you saw yourself fall? And you never said anything?"

"I told you you'd be angry."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Part of me was still in shock. I mean, we usually aren't aware of what sends us to the Red Meadows until it happens. I didn't want you to do anything foolish, either. If I'd told you, and you tried to prevent me from crossing the bridge in the first place – who knows what could have happened. It had to happen that way. And maybe it's for the best," I added.

He didn't like my answer. "For the best! How was everyone thinking you died for the best?"

"Just look at what's happened with Fell. At least no one will come after me if they think I'm dead. It's better this way."

His head hung, accepting the truth but disliking it nonetheless. "Perhaps, but what you did and what Fell did were so different."

"Were they? I can't be sure. It seems we both spread an equal amount of hope and fear. Why did you want to know all of this anyways?"

"Aside from the obvious reason, what Palla said got me thinking…"

"Ah-ha." I shot him a knowing smile.

He chuckled, his ears flopping on top of his head. "No, stop that. What I meant was that I wondered if you'd ever planned for things to work out one way, only for the Sight to show you that what you planned would never happen."

"So you wanted to know if I just avoided making plans altogether and relied on my ability to see the future, or if I enjoyed seeing my hopes dashed."

"Not exactly, but in a sense, yes."

I allowed a wide grin to spread across my face. "In that case, allow me to clarify. I very much intend upon us leaving the pack and traveling to some place far away where we've never been heard of. You will hunt for me when I start having cubs like we we're the last two wolves in the world, and I won't allow you to name any of them after us. We have quite enough Larka's as it is thank you."

His grin matched mine. "Really? All of that?"

"Yes, and anyone who tries to stop me will have my teeth to answer to. Satisfied?"

He settled down for sleep, so I curled into his side. "Immensely. But promise me you won't keep these visions to yourself anymore. We dumber, less-worthy creatures would appreciate being able to help you when you need it. And I think I'd like to know how much more hunting I will have to do for you before we run off together."

I ignored most of that. "You aren't dumb."

"Yes, I am, because I'm just now remembering to ask you what in the name of Fenris you were trying to do to me earlier. And with the cubs there!" His head was back in the air, a dubious expression on his face. So that's what he's going on about. I raised my head to meet his, licked his muzzle, and returned my head to my paws.

"Nothing you need to worry about yet, Kar."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We woke in the morning to a yapping pack of children. They were beside themselves with excitement, for the first hunt is the greatest thing there is to Putnar. I found myself just as eager, hoping to make it through the hunt without making a fool of myself…or getting someone killed. For a split second I'd debated staying behind, but I knew that Kar wanted me to go and he wasn't going to allow me to stay here without him. Deciding that preventing history from repeating itself had to begin somewhere, I dutifully took my place beside Kar in the hunting party. Besides, four hunters are better than three.

Huttser and Palla led us to a pre-determined area while the cubs made up the rear of our group. It was nice, hearing their hushed and elated tones. They were so much more naïve and good-humored than Fell and I had been. Where their stories were of flying rabbits and herla with the power to climb trees, ours had been of Wolfbane and Morgra. Our aunt's presence had disrupted so many aspects of my life; it was good to see how life moves on. I knew that I would do what I could to protect this next generation from the ever present darkness that seemed to follow our family.

Kar caught me watching them over my shoulder and smiled affectionately. I smiled back, remembering my earlier conclusion that he'd make an excellent father. I realized for the first time that someday I would most likely discover the truth of the matter for myself. Disconcertingly enough he read something in my expression that gave away my thoughts and his smile grew wider. Embarrassed, I looked away, focusing on the steady swaying movement of Palla's tail. I noticed that it swung in time with Huttser's. Somehow their tails would flicker towards the other at the exact same moment, allowing the seemingly impassive Dragga and Drappa to show their affection for each other without anyone noticing. They've changed so much. I'm happy for them.

I tested the air as we walked, knowing that any quarry would be quite a ways away. There was a cool breeze rustling the leaves above us. Through the foliage I could make out the presence of low clouds moving in. Rain. We were going to need to move quickly if we wanted to find any clear tracks. Old ones were sure to be washed away by the downpour, and scenting out our prey would be nearly impossible through the water. Huttser came to this conclusion as well and instructed the cubs to move quickly and silently.

Palla uncovered the scent of herla some time later. Huttser redirected the family in search of the lera. The cub's excitement escalated to the point where they were shivering in their coats. Our instincts were telling us to creep silently through the undergrowth. As Putnar we slunk in the shadows, carefully avoiding dry twigs and leaves, anything that would sound our arrival. The doe was in a small clearing with her fawn – they hadn't noticed our presence yet. Kar and parted to circle around our meal while Palla and Huttser stayed upwind with the cubs. I could feel every muscle in my toned body as I crawled into position behind a berry bush.

I knew the instant the doe realized that something was wrong. The other lera in the area had already fled from our approach. The intense quiet was nerve-wracking for the mother. She kept her head to the ground, pretending to continue grazing. Her ears gave her away. They were swiveling forward and backward on the top of her head. Her wide eyes jumped about erratically as she tried to plan a way to escape. I could imagine the thoughts buzzing through her head. She could charge us and give her fawn time to escape. She could hide him, but then the clearing was too small for that. The faint tickling sensation in the back of my head alerted me to the fact that I was allowing myself to become dangerously close to the doe. I shut out the feeling, closing myself to the Sight. Thank you, Tsarr, for teaching me how to do that.

I began to salivate as the wind changed, blowing her scent in my direction – and consequently the pack's scent in her direction. She froze.

We bolted at the same time. She came straight for me as I rushed her headlong, snarling. She veered right and Kar leapt from his spot, causing her to turn. She kicked out, but her aim was off and went wide of Kar's curled muzzle. Palla and Huttser had already come to our aid. Despite the terrifyingly insistent bellows coming from his mother the poor fawn was too frightened to move. Palla took him down in a matter of seconds. Normally we would leave the young to fend for themselves, but it had been a long time since any of us had hunted and the extra sustenance wouldn't go to waste.

Kar snapped at the doe's heels as we closed in on the animal. The bloodlust had taken over and the deer ceased to be a creature to me. She was an it. It was not a mother. It wasn't something to admire from a distance. It was prey. It was walking meat, plain and simple. Our job was to make the meat stop walking. She reared on her hind legs to box with her front hooves, this exposed her back to Huttse. He soared through the air and onto her back, locking his strong jaws around her neck. It wasn't a killing blow, but it did bring her down. He held her to the ground as I padded up and tore her throat out, blood spilling over the ground.

Palla, fighting the bloodlust in order to remember her duty as mother and instructor, called to the cubs in a gruff voice. They eagerly approached the carcass of the larger animal, hunger plainly written on their faces. Huttser tore into the doe's thick haunch; Palla attacked the shoulder with a fervor I clearly remembered. Instead of being frightened of the intensity of the feast, I grew hungry. Kar, who would normally be the next in the pecking order, waited for me to begin before he tore off a large chunk himself. It was too big for him to swallow whole, so we tugged at both ends, tussling over the larger half.

As we ate the rain started, intensifying the scent of our kill. It was everywhere. I raised my head, not thinking. The rain swirled and I was met with an image of myself. Actually, it was the entire pack. They were standing around a pair of carcasses…I could smell my scent on the berry bush I'd hid behind during the hunt…My anger was threatening to overwhelm me…and the other me was staring off into the distance before her head whipped around and an intense pain caused me to cry out –

Larka, whispered a quiet voice.

The thought brought me crashing back to reality and my head whipped around, just as it had done in my vision. I was staring in the direction of the bush, my heart crashing painfully in my chest. I took a cautious step forward, ignoring Kar's voice somewhere behind me.

It's him. He's here.

Fell

The knowledge that Cadea had assisted in Larka's recovery was the only thing keeping her alive at this point.

She hadn't said a word to me since that first day…over two weeks ago. Oddly enough the silence was infuriating. The stream of invasive questions had irritated me before, but it was nothing compared to the silence. I knew killing her would do the opposite of solve my problem, but her absence would at least provide me an excuse for my present state.

Of course not, darling. But it would make you feel better, now wouldn't it? You've been so upset lately. It would make you feel better to take out your frustrations on someone who won't put up a fight. Morgra was dead and still trying to use me. Was she really so powerful? Or was I truly so pathetic?

'Because I need someone who will fight back,' I growled in response to the voice in my head.

I suppose you're right. Though, blinding her and watching her stumble around could be fun.

'No. I'm not going to do that anymore.'

I can make you. How long has it been since you've had a good torture?

I laughed at the petulant voice. 'How can you make me if you're not real? I hope you are aware of the fact that you've died. I saw your remains with my own eyes.'

Then why is it that you are still speaking to me?

She always had a point – and that was what drove me mad. Cadea followed behind me like a ghost, silent as the wind. I felt odd; conflicted, even. While I preferred to be alone, the fact that I was with company and still hearing voices – voices that did not belong to my company – was upsetting. I should be hearing Cadea's voice instead of Morgra's. I didn't want to speak with the she-wolf, but if speaking out-loud made the voices go away…well, it was something to think about.

She knows about Larka. Do you really think she'll keep her pretty mouth shut once she gets what she needs? She'll head straight to the Balkar when she's through with you.

'That's what you want me to think. I saw the truth of the pain in her face when she told me she couldn't hunt. It was the same look Larka wore.' If I could help her, I would. And then I'll send her on her way. I had enough to deal with as it was.

"We should find somewhere to shelter before the storm closes in." I'd been so locked in my internal debate that I was startled by Cadea's observation.

"No. We are nearly there. We should keep moving." However much joy speaking to a living being brought me, Cadea's observations still annoyed me.

"Fell, we've been running since yesterday. We can't keep this pace for much longer."

"If we move faster, we will be there faster. We are nearly there." We must be a short sprint from the den by now.

"So you say," she snorted.

"We crossed the boundary yesterday afternoon. We are nearly there," I ground out through my teeth.

"Oh."

It was the first conversation we'd had since our fight. I realized now why we hadn't spoken to each other: our talks ended in a confrontation.

I would never admit it, but she typically proved to be in the right. Even then I could feel the air around me thickening. Sounds of the smaller Lera were less noticeable than before. Unlike us, they were seeking a safe place to weather the storm. We kept moving.

When the rain finally began to fall, we kept moving. Cadea plodded along behind me noisily, clearly angry and reluctant to say so to my face. I was trying to focus on the spaces between the raindrops, but a low growl of frustration from my companion broke through my concentration. The insult dangling on the edge of my tongue was stopped as my concentration shifted.

I smelled blood. Lots of blood. Enough blood that it was most certainly brought down by Putnar. Perhaps…

"Fell?" Cadea whispered to my still figure. I turned in time to see her nose twitch towards the same tantalizing scent. She nodded, signaling she understood, and we slunk along through the undergrowth.

That was when I first caught the scent of her. I picked up the pace and followed the trail. Perhaps I could find her before the rain washed her scent away.

The trail brought us to a bush. It was strongest here, meaning she must have lingered before – My thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of wolves scuffling and meat tearing. I carefully peered through the leaves of my hiding place and caught sight of what was unmistakably my family. The cubs grew so quickly! Here they were, already on a hunt.

The familiar constricting of my heart made it hard for me to breathe. I wasn't sure what was causing it this time.

You know very well what the problem is, Fell. You know that will never be happy – be loved – like Larka is. Your father always liked her best. You can never belong to a family. It wasn't until you came to me that you learned how to belong to anything. Even now, you are bringing more trouble to your family. You know you are dangerous, Fell.

'That's not true.' There was no way to deny the truth her voice whispered to me all day long, but I still pretended to disagree with her. I was a threat to anyone around me. My temper prevented me from thinking with a level head, and the few times I did find myself in control of my actions Morgra's voice was there to poison my thoughts.

I was insane. It was a surprise that I'd managed to keep Cadea safe this long.

I started when I felt a cool nose press my shoulder. Cadea jumped back, surprised she'd startled me. I didn't care that she was scared. The blaze in my eyes was a physical pain, but the cause was far from me. Why am I so angry? Reflecting, I knew it had nothing to do with Cadea. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that my family seemed to be getting on well without me. That would mean that my mood was attributed to jealousy. I was never jealous.

Ignoring Cadea I continued spying on the pack as they ate. Oddly enough, I'd only witnessed wolves at the feast a few times in my life. The Balkar left carcasses for me to find, so I always ate alone. Returning to the pack I'd kept up the behavior. Of course, I'd seen Cadea eat what I brought her, but this was different. Before me were eight wolves, each as lost to the bloodlust as the next. They growled and snapped and snarled at each other, fighting for the choicest cuts. Had it been this way on my first hunt? I remembered so little of it. I could clearly recall that Larka ran off, but I wasn't sure when. My eyes had been blinded by a red haze I was all too familiar with. Khaz died that day. Watching my family tear at the nearly indistinguishable herla, I could nearly taste the meat in m already salivating mouth. The juicy red meat –

And there it was. My white coat was drenched through with rain and blood. The meat in my mouth was warm. Disoriented, I paused, trying to comprehend what was happening. Kar, now standing to my left, noticed my change and asked what the matter was. His eyes were worried beneath the excitement of the hunt. My-head-that-wasn't-mine swung around and looked back to where I knew my body was. I grew anxious, excited. Through the bits of flesh in my nose I could barely make out my scent. The wind had changed…

Just like that I was seeing through my own eyes again. Larka was staring straight at me.

And Cadea's teeth were clamped painfully around my tail.

I yelped, turning and snarling at the offending she-wolf. She spat my tail out but stood her ground, more than likely anticipating my reaction. We glared at each other for a few moments, willing the other to submit. Her tail raised – mine raised higher. My ears flattened against my skull – she bared her teeth. Why is she being so defensive? It's not like – wait – why are we fighting? I lowered my head infinitesimally as an exasperated sigh rolled from my lips. I'll deal with this after I figure out how to tell Larka that the Balkar are after us…again.

"Fell."

"Fell?"

"Fell!"

Now or never, I thought that they were aware of my presence, I slowly padded through the green blind before me and met the expectant and joyful faces of my family. And Larka. For a moment I felt as though nothing out of the ordinary had prevented our lives from progressing as a normal Varg's should. Palla and Huttser were simply out for a hunt with their children. Nothing here was strange. I wondered at my prior feelings of apprehension. Larka, Kar and I were together again.

Then Kar adopted a defensive position in front of Larka, whose eyes were opened wide and tail swung back and forth lazily. Palla hushed Skop. Huttser looked happier than he'd ever been during my cubhood. And –

"Where is Slavka?" I hadn't intended those words to be the first to break this overwhelming silence. I wanted to say something more suitable for the moment – perhaps exclaim how delighted I was to finally be reunited with my family, safe and well. Not that I would ever allow myself to be delighted in anything, though. Leave it to you to dwell on life's miseries, the voice muttered.

Kar took another cautious step in my direction, glancing nervously towards something behind me. "She's gone." Larka continued to stare at me in disbelief. "She left a moon or so after you."

"Oh." What's wrong with me? Why is it so difficult have a normal conversation with my family?

He tilted his gore-covered muzzle in my direction. "Care to introduce us?" Larka shook her head and looked to see what Kar was talking about. Her face instantly grew cold and emotionless. What were they –?

Leaves rustled behind me as Cadea entered the clearing. Ah. "No need. Larka knows me." Kar visibly relaxed. What had gotten him so riled up in the first place?

"I – Cadea? Is that really you? It's so good to see you again." She seemed genuinely pleased to see the other she-wolf, slightly lessening my worries for bringing her with me. Having finally regained her composure, Larka made her way towards us. "Hello, Fell. I'm glad to see you are well." I didn't miss the inflection she used. She knows about Brak.

"Hello, Larka. It's a pleasant surprise to see you're alive." I remembered only too well how we'd all fallen to pieces when we thought her dead. If I had heard the rumors of Larka's survival, the Balkar were bound to know by now. I had to keep her safe. I wasn't crazy enough to believe that seeking Brak out on my own would be enough to protect the pack, but if it would help keep them safe…help atone for what I'd done…

She ignored my jibe. "What just happened?" Her question came out as a whisper.

I found myself snorting. "Why are you asking me? You're much more acquainted with the power than I am."

"Something tells me that isn't true," she smirked.

"There is an annoying voice in my mind that seems to agree with you." It was always there, jumping at any opportunity to anger me beyond the point of control.

"Come brother. We have much to talk about; but first let us eat. You must both must be hungry."

Just like that, I was once again a member of the pack. It didn't feel like 'home', but it was something. Maybe this was a paw in the right direction. In many ways I had missed them, but the freedom of being on my own, able to be myself – that was what I craved. I hated the act I put on to spare others from my pain. Cadea and I shared the fawn, both eating our fair share. Instead of staring at me, the cubs constantly sent questioning looks towards the she-wolf across from me. Cadea pretended not to notice.

I thought while I ate. Larka seemed to know that there was more going on than the others realized. Or perhaps they knew. But then why isn't Huttser in full dragga form right now? Surely, my presence would set him on his guard. It didn't add up. It was like the sight of me quelled any fears they had. I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

And as we all know, what you don't understand only serves to anger you.

Again, she was right. She was always right.

Well, I hoped you like it. The plot will pick up after this chapter, and Cadea won't be such a dead-weight. It's amazing what you can get done when you're bedridden! Hope you all got your flu shots!

(And please, don't wish me sick so I will write more – that's just cruel)