Chapter 22

There! A lynx. It stood on a rock almost completely blending in. It was staring at me in challenge. I twitched my right ear. There were lynx here? I waited for it to make its exit and it vanished up the mountain side.

My hackles lowered and I sat, realizing how numb my paws were. I lifted one to examine it. A tad sore and red but thankfully not cut. I cleaned each paw as best as I could and rested under a tree-which didn’t really help keep me dry. Before I knew it, my head was on my paws and my eyes drooped shut.

A bird chirped, awaking me. I yawned, extending my front legs. While it felt like I’d slept for hours I could tell by the position of the sun that I’d only slept thirty minutes.

“Dang it,” I stood, all my joints stiff. I lost precious time. I should rest in my den, not here. Still a bit tired, I decided to walk instead of run.

My thoughts slowly turned to Alpha, Draugluin and Lyall. Oh, what would they think? My steps slowed but I made them move faster. Was I scared? That was