the woman woke just as the barest hints of dawn light hit the forest.

green luminaries focused sharply on the entrance of her den, rising and stepping over ame as she moved towards the opening. the fox was crouched near the mouth of the den, small muzzle bunching over tiny teeth. whilst the brashness of the other canine was amusing, verity was in no mood to deal with the pest. she bared her own teeth and growled low in her chest, watching with smug satisfaction as it flinched in recognition of the superior predator and then, quick and quiet as a whisper, disappeared. the woman turned back towards her sleeping son, relieved to find him still sleeping.

verity crept on silent feet to the sleeping teen, snuffling across his face to bring him to a half awake state. the teen rolled to his back automatically in response to his mother's presence, lapping halfheartedly at her lower jaw in greeting. she took the top of his muzzle gently into her mouth in response before smoothing her tongue across his brow. "i will be back soon," she murmured, waiting for his mumbled affirmative before moving through the dark den and into open air.

abendrot's musk hadn't changed much since she had left, save for the addition of the queen's personal scent. even as she walked, a low chuckle vibrated through her chest.

kershov with a mate - who would have thought?

despite her surprise of that turn of events, verity was happy for her old friend. after all the years he had put into the pack, he deserved her. and, it the whispering of birds was anything to believe, the duo were a perfect match.

time had done verity a favor or two as well - peace, for one.

as much as she would have loved to stay in the safety of kershov's borders, the white woman had disappeared the moment the first swell of pregnancy had begun to show. the feelings of shame and humiliation had pushed her into hiding. it had hit been easy, nor fun, but the six children that had come from it had been, and still were, the biggest blessing of her life. they had come from such evil, but the innocent trust they had in her had banished her resentment towards them.

the fearful restlessness had brought her out of hiding, brought her home to abendrot. standing under the tall, shadowy trees had soothed the grating of her nerves and helped her achieve the feeling of peace she now had.

so rarely had she felt safe after her attack that being in abendrot made her feel uneasy, nervous, as if she were waiting for the other shoe to drop. kershov had allowed her to dance back and forth across his border with patience that she hadn't realized he had, something she was eternally grateful for. but she was tired, so tired of her constant state of unease. there was a hollowness in her chest that would never, could never, heal - a place where innocence and trust had rested - but she figured that this was the best first step to healing the aching scar on her mental health.

settling on the scar that a past flood had left, the woman stared into the barren swamp and waited.