Chapter XXII: Tracks

I sat up suddenly, listening to the paw steps that had woken me. A familiar pair of yellow eyes glinted through the darkness, connecting with mine.
"Ember?" I whispered, noticing the empty place beside me. "Come back to sleep."
He picked his way through the pack without a word, laying beside me. I saw a something shine on his fur. Prodding his side with my nose, the tang of fresh blood washed over my tongue. He winced, shifting.
"Ember, are you hurt?" I asked, sitting up again to closer inspect the wound.
"It's just a scratch, Mira," he murmured. "Let me sleep, look at it in the morning when you can see it. Please."
I sighed. "Alright."
"I found some tracks," he whispered.
"Where?"
"Near the spot we found the pups."
"Do you know who's they are?" I asked.
"Not yet."
"Oh."
"Good night."
"Night," I whispered.

*     *     *

"Oh, Ember," I said, looking at his scratch now under the morning sun. "That is not just a scratch."
He winced. "I didn't want you to worry more than you are already."
"Well, that's obviously a very bad idea," I muttered, licking the edges of the wound. "We'll need to put a poultice on that."
"Mira, dearest?"