"Mother?"

It was stupid, it was unfounded, but the panic had set in. They were just sounds on the wind, a feeling in the air, but the fur on the back of her neck had prickled. Belladonna was not one to ignore what the air told her. She couldn't explain it, but something horrid had flown past, a terrible deed or a thought or simply an intention - flown over her, looking for its target, somebody to hurt, and a horrid shiver had run down her spine.

It had been gone as quickly as she had felt it, but the sensation lingered like nausea in her gut. Frightened, she had sprinted back to home, seeking the comfort of the land which kept her safe, the land which only whispered kind things. Perhaps she had strayed too far, touched on a feral wind. The world was a big place, and she was no longer small and naive. Innocent and unsullied, Bella listened. There was wisdom to be found in listening - to the trees, to the other wolves, to the wind. It made her feel stronger.

The world was a big place, and if it was filled with more chills like that, Bella was all the happier to stay at home and never leave. Not until she was bigger, stronger, and wiser. Random terrors didn't scare adults, after all. And maybe one day, she would be able to send pleasing thoughts on the wind to counteract them before they even landed.

"Mother?" she called again, calmer, less frantic. Her heard still beat hard, but she was in control again. She had found sanctuary, and if she could find Athena, the chill would be thawed out completely, for nothing was stronger than the comfort of a mother's presence.

The moment Athena appeared, Bella relaxed, the relief visible on her face. Her mother embraced her and all the terrors in the world melted away into insignificance. Even as her own heart began to slow to a regular beat, she could feel the pounding of her mother's, and a wave of silly guilt washed over her. It had all been nothing, not really, but it had been hard to explain that to herself whilst she had been in the grips of it.

"I just frightened myself," she muttered into the white fur, pressing her head into her mother's neck, letting the warmth and smell flood her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It was... there was a sound on the wind, it made me shiver, but it's gone now." If she looked at herself as an outsider, she could see how such an explanation may appear weak or childish, but it was the truth. Nobody had attacked or threatened her. Though her mother didn't share her passions, Bella never felt foolish voicing them, even when it was something as abstract and bodiless as this.

Closing her eyes tight, she tucked herself against her mother closer and put the disquieting memory out of her mind.

The words of comfort had the magical effect that Bella had needed, and as her mother promised safety, so the girl relaxed, unable to sustain any degree of fear when warm and protected. I will always be here for you, Athena promised, and Bella beamed at her, innocent and happy at the declaration. She had never doubted it, not for a moment, and it was a thing often promised, but it held the same power each and every time. Words lost to her, she reached forward to lick her mother's nose, promising the same in return, always the same.

As if the previously offered comfort was not enough, her mother sealed it by offering a new distraction. Bella loved to see her smile and easily she mirrored it, the girl's tail wagging at the mere request of going on an adventure. "Oooh, where are we going?" There had surely been no doubt that she would leap on the opportunity, for what was better than spending time with the wolves she loved? Save for spending time with the wolves she loved and a good wind ruffling her fur and a spectacular view in the background, of course.