I had been running through the forest for what felt like only minutes but the returning pain told me otherwise. The ache in my head was building back steadily and the burning in my torso had started again, which meant Raven's hour was spent and I had covered whatever ground I was going to cover on borrowed time. I had not found a pack. I had not found a road or a structure or any sign of other living wolves. Just overgrown clearings and dense trees in every direction, wild and indifferent to my situation.
I was slowing. The run had become a stumble and eventually the stumble became nothing at all. I stopped against a tree and pressed my back to it, chest heaving, and carved my initial into the bark with the stick before letting myself stay still for a moment. Just one moment.
The burning in my chest was sharp and insistent. I was completely soaked, the rain following me through the forest like it had made a personal decision to do so.
