Whatever was under the snow in this damned forest, she hoped she’d soon be out of it. The trees might be spaced more apart than further south, but that allowed plenty of sun to reach the underbrush, letting all sorts of things flourish. With such an uneven bedding, the snow was treacherous, sinking and shifting uncomfortably under each step. In the end it would probably have been faster to go back the same way she’d come, rather than cut across these unknown woods.

But the fiery shewolf was nothing if not stubborn, and having already travelled for hours, she figured she’d be best of continuing, sooner or later she would reach the mountain and steady ground. So she moved on at this infuriating low speed, weaving between trees and bramble jutting out of the snow, breathing heavily from the effort. It didn’t even occur to her that more than brush might be hiding under the snow, until her leg suddenly went through to the elbow, making her tumble forwards in a heap.

The snow mostly cushioned her fall, but she still felt an uncomfortable stab in the ribs that had been bruised by the cougar a few months back – not to mention the painful twist of her shoulder. Swearing under her breath, she struggled to right herself, pulling her leg free of the hole and back into a normal position underneath her, as she crouched, readying to stand back up. However a fierce, high-pitched snarl from within the burrow made her freeze – apparently, she had woken someone up; Crap!