Sex: FemaleI guess it goes to show, does it not?
THAT WE'VE NO IDEA WHAT WE'VE GOT UNTIL WE LOSE IT
Ally limped through the trees, sure she was in all sorts of trouble when she got home. The first time she was really allowed out and she'd mucked it up; she hadn't gotten lost this time but wandered too far and like a fool trusted the wrong patch of ice. She could almost hear her dad scolding her for even going out; no morsel of food was worth the risk. Not when he'd lost too much to the fickle nature of winter's waterways.
Luckily it had been a shallow crossing and she'd managed to get the rest of the way to shore, but the damage was done. She was cold and wet and had a long, deep slice up her leg where she'd broken through. Ally didn't have enough training to tend to it more than to lick it until it stopped bleeding, and putting weight on her foot hurt. So here she was limping along trying to make it back. At least this time she knew where she was going.
Mostly.
Another night fell and Ally looked for a place to sleep. She'd been trying to find dense hedges or snowbanks to curl into, but tonight she was lucky; a small den nestled at the foot of a tree. It smelled abandoned. She gratefully sank to her belly at the entrance, taking a moment to catch her breath and clean her leg before getting settled for the night.