Kirastasia floated on a cloud made of cotton candy and sunlight and sparkles. Everything she looked at seemed to shimmer with its own special glow, lit up through the lens of her own brilliant happiness, as if she cast luminesce wherever she stepped. Misery and sadness and loneliness had no power over her now—each negative emotion burned like a comet sizzling through the atmosphere of her joy, destroying itself the moment it attempted to harm her. With a dreamy grin on her lips and a twinkle in her maple-amber eyes, the snowbird appeared to have discovered the secrets of the universe—and her perhaps she had. Perhaps the only key to absolute delight in one’s life was love . . . and Kira had finally, finally discovered it.

Never mind that she barely knew Drizzt, the boy with the eyes like blazing blue suns. Never mind that she had literally only met him a few days ago, and that they still knew next to nothing about one another. Sure, he had explained what he was to the curious Kira: he was a Tempest, a wolf with magic in his blood, son of Aindreas and grandson of Kalgalath. He could peer at her aura as if contemplating the play of sunshine over the vastness of the sky. His eyes shone—literally, a blue glimmer so bright it cut through shadow. But the main thing, that which had Kira drifting along like a dazed ballerina, was that he was HER Soulmate. And she was HIS. Destined to be together . . . forever. The dark feeling of perpetual abandonment which had crushed her since she was a pup had been lifted off her heart; Kirastasia discovered herself reborn with new purpose and worth.

No longer would she force herself to hunt for affection like one starving to death. If Kira needed attention, she need only seek the cremero out—and he would gladly dote upon the inner wounds that wept within her heart.

As the brindled brutale traveled out of Wudubearo, she carried a song through the air—a bubbling trill that soared beneath the clouds with the ease of birdsong, wordless and beatific. The world had changed with terrifying suddenness—and significance—within the past few days, rendering all of her surroundings utterly unrecognizable; adventurous as always, Kirastasia decided today would be as good as any to leave the safety of her pack and discover what the transformed landscape had to offer. Fresh breezes informed her of a new body of water . . . one that smelled heavily of salt and storms. All the paths she used to know had been erased, giving the punkette fascinating trips through recently reconfigured forests. Along the East, she’d heard, a vast and unforgiving tundra had burned a wasteland straight toward the horizon . . . somewhere she thought her bastard of a father might appreciate. Normally, Kira would avoid anything Kershov-related. She despised her sire. But perhaps she ought to improve her mental map anyway, just in case the old fart hadn’t made it this far yet . . .

The sun rose higher as she traveled, limning her white fur with gold. Her paws carried her toward a river—one that had not existed previous to the magical eruption that broke Blossom Forest apart. Massive rough-cut boulders still punctuated its ravenous current, not yet smoothed by all the water rushing by. She’d been trotting alongside the gigantic liquid serpent for well over an hour when her windows caught sight of another fae standing off by herself. Not one to miss the opportunity for social interaction, Kirastasia increased her pace. She approached the other gal at a brisk run, still grinning widely. “Well hello there! Are you lost?”