<font color=7f1715>*send out the morning birds</font>

Sleep had come at some point: a heavy, dreamless sleep that was more like losing consciousness than drifting off. When Sen came into the den, she stirred under his gentle touch, noting as she came to that the scent of blood seemed somehow lessened. Had it been that long? A squinting glance toward the entrance gave her a glimpse of the rising sun, pink through the trees above � it hadn�t been days, despite what her body seemed to suggest.

Ravenous. A new smell had replaced the evidence of her trauma. Fresh meat. Still warm, even. She lifted her head, sparing a smiling lick to Sen�s cheek and a once-over of the sleeping puppies, and stiffly shifted herself toward the nearby hares. Snagging one by the leg, she dragged it over and had taken a mouthful before it even settled again. The meat was moist in her dry mouth, helping to relieve the thirst that plagued her more than the soreness and hunger, and she let slip a moan of gratitude and fulfillment.

Only halfway through the hare did it occur to her to be embarrassed about her graceless demeanor. Swallowing a last bite, she turned her lavender eyes on Sen, a familiar smile playing across her face. She had done it � three puppies! � and he was here with her. A dreamlike quality fell over the peace of their cozy den. She pressed her muzzle into the ruff of his neck, breathing him. �Nothing scares you, does it?� she asked quietly.

Nudging the remaining portion of the first hare toward him, she looked again at the tiny forms curled together, twitching sleepily against her stomach. She grinned at them, then once more at Sen, as if to say, �See?� A scattering of dirt. Her eyes darted toward the entrance. Fluidly, her ears swiveled to the noise from beyond the den, and she watched a shadow fall over the tunnel; Hush stiffened, a low growl warming itself in the depths of her chest.

Not without pain, she rose to her feet, shaking on her own legs, but moving, almost blindly, toward the stranger. She thought of Dante. What would he do with three strange pups, Sen, and herself, tired and half-beat as she was? It didn�t matter. Whatever path he chose would not be easy, and she was ready to face it. But as she drew closer, a voice greeted her, awkward and familiar as it struggled along in their language. �Hush is okay? Hush is here?�

�Coza!� her scratchy voice answered. She smiled back at Sen, relief and even happiness lighting her face as she then moved through the tunnel and into the welcoming forest beyond it. It was good to see him after so much time. They had met only briefly, and the resulting scars were still evident on his throat. The sight of them was quick to remind her that he had saved her life, but she decided not to let that darken their reuniting.

It had been a good day: she had Sen, three healthy puppies, and now a friend on her doorstep. She moved forward without hesitation, though still a little wobbly and stiff, and touched her nose to Cozscotl�s cheek. �Sen,� she said, eager to address him first and prove that he was still her favorite, �This is Coszcotl. Coza. He�s an old friend.� She looked to Coza next, �Coza, this is Sen.� She tried to sit, thought better of it, and then stood between them, smiling brightly at two of her favorite wolves.

they sing in clever tongues

oh, how my knees go weak

to be the one;

H U S H

five ** bound by Dante ** midwestern crater **

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