The day was young yet, but the hot sun shone with as much ferocity as the fire in the eyes of the wolf who lay still, staring intently into a pool of water. No passer by could begin to fathom what she saw there, for her expression was vacant, every crease in her muzzle resting as she took in her remarkably altered appearance. The fire, when it had bitten her, had bitten her hard, leaving no patch of tissue on her right side unsinged. Her skin, which had a base as black as the midnight sky, shone pink in places where scar tissue cut swathes into her flanks, and only patches of hair grew on her belly and legs. Her right ear was a wilted flower on her head, although thankfully the damage to it was only superficial. Less could be said of her right eye. She had once been proud of the colour of that orb, of the bright teal hue that was both enchanting and unnerving, and that reminded her of the father she had never met. Now it was gone, torn from her skull to leave only an empty socket covered over with sinewy flesh. All that remained of the white she-wolf had come from Jaylah, and Jaylah alone. She did not even hold any resemblance to her estranged mother anymore. No, her only family was long dead and it was better that way.

She sneezed, wrenching herself from her thoughts, and flicked an ear to reassure herself of her solitude. Too many times of late had she allowed another to sneak up on her, and it wasn't likely to happen again. At this unwelcome reminder of her many enemies, she uttered a low growl and had to work at keeping her heckles smooth upon her well-ruffed neck. No point in letting such trivial beings rile her up. Indeed, she had been blessed by the flames, destined to be more than they could ever hope to be. She no longer had to bother about them, except when the time came to end their insignificant lives. The thought warmed her almost as much as the sun, and she shut her single red eye to bask in it, enjoying a rare moment of peace in her otherwise tumultuous existence.

Around her the rocks began to simmer gently, and the grasses swayed in a biting breeze – all that was left now of winter's icy grip – and a bird trilled lyrically some distance away. For nary a moment she found her mind had wandered onto the topic of a pack. It had come as no surprise to her that Eden (that wilful son of a dog), had managed to wrest one out from under the paws of an ageing male. He was that kind of opportunist after all, and she briefly entertained the notion of paying him a visit, and not the kind one looks forward to. It would do her lazy bones good to be used again, and her dull mind yearned for the opportunity to test out her skills in battle. Still, she was not the impatient pup she used to be, or at least she liked to think that she wasn't, and she recognised the idiocy of approaching him without testing her mettle (and impaired vision) against a milder foe first. Perhaps the one who had once saved her from the jaws of a nameless black hellion would enjoy the spar? Probably not, he was too mild to partake in such things. Ah well, all in good time Fiammetta, all in good time. A mantra she did not revel in, but allowed to lull her bonfire heart for the moment nonetheless. Tobias had chased the puppy naivety out of her once and for all when he took her for his own, and she was no longer quite so swift in her decision making.

He too would one day have to pay for what he had done, despite the fact that her heart, like Jaylah's had before her, beat slightly more readily at the taste of his name on her tongue.

Fiammetta - Female - No Home - No Family - 5YO - 28 inches, 32 pounds