Possum's Traveling Records

Note: This is for my own personal records, so I ask that you please do not post.

Original Lore by Proxy:

When Possum first met the leader of the Thornheart pack, she wasn't too impressed.

"Tenderfoot" was the word that came into her mind. "Softie" was the second. Yep, a real-life, bona fide, unironic bleeding heart. Nice guy, sure. But in her experience, in a competitive territory like his, last guys didn't tend to last for long.

Still, a job was a job, and Deftmark paid her well. A little too well, to be perfectly honest -- but Possum figured he'd either figure that out eventually, or she'd be set for life.

Possum worked a lot of jobs. Her primary one was that of a traveling merchant -- moving through different regions, and trading herbs, prey delicacies, and other rare items that could only be found in specific biomes.

But trade alone was often not enough to live on a full belly. So Possum also picked up the occasional odd jobs, such as that of a courier, messenger, or even a spy -- though the latter hadn't worked out so well last time.

Possum actually rather liked the job. There was something rather thrilling about navigating the world of inter-pack politics without having a personal investment in them. But a lesson had certainly been learned.

Note to self -- if you are going to spy for two different packs at the same time, make sure you don't get caught.

The scar on her left leg -- long since healed -- began to throb. Possum gave an unconscious shudder, and glanced over her shoulder.

No one was there, of course. But considering how long those last two packs chased her, she wasn't going to stop checking anytime soon.

Possum shook some stale rainwater out of her fur, and the bad memories along with it. She had escaped, that was all that mattered. She was in a new region now, full of new wolves and new territories, who had never even heard her name -- much less cared about her history.

For now, Possum figured she would just lay low for a while. Get to know the new packs. Maybe settle down, start a new life, and find some real honest work.

Or maybe she'd hose them for all they were worth. Who knows? Moon was new.

Possum couldn't help but smile, as she approached the strangers' territory.

Either way, this was going to be interesting.

This damn rain. Possum was soaked to the bone, and her fur felt at least two pounds heavier than usual. All the usual places she used to sleep in were filled with puddles now, and as if that wouldn't be enough, she also hadn't been able to get any jobs lately. Her stomach let out an angry grumble. Yes, no jobs no food, that was the hard reality.

In hope to find some shelter, Possum decided to head for the nearby forest. There had to be a dry place somewhere.

As she walked into the shadows between the large trunks, Possum suddenly felt watched. Great, just what she needed. A fight. She was in the mood for it, that was for sure.

"Show yourself, you coward!", she growled.

A wolf stepped out behind an ancient fallen cedar. A black and white female, surely at least a head smaller than Possum. No match, she thought.

"Relax, I'm not here to fight. My name is Ailyn, I am the leader of wolves of Nemos. But you don't look like you've heard of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Possum snapped. Ailyn's pose wasn't threatening, but neither was it submissive. Did she honestly think she'd stand a chance if it came to a fight?

With a smirk, Ailyn replied: "Nothing, you simply don't look like you're from around here. Come with me if you like, I'll show you a safe and dry spot to sleep and let you have a meal. Maybe then your mood lightens up a bit. You're not the first traveler we've hosted."

Then she simply turned her back on Possum, and went into the direction she had come from. Surprised by so much rudeness mixed with friendly words, Possum hesitated for a moment. This kind of behavior was entirely new to her and she was unsure wither to trust this wolf, but she desperately needed to warm up, sleep and fill her stomach. But one thing was for sure, she'd better avoid getting into a fight with Ailyn. Don't mess with unpredictable enemies, that's a thing she had to learn the hard way.

So she hurried to catch up and asked: "What would I have to do for those things? Do you need me to spy on someone? Make an annoying pack member vanish?"

Ailyn looked at her like she was a lunatic. "By the moon, no! When any of my pack members vanish as long as you are around, I'll hold you responsible for it, you can be sure of that."

Possum stopped for a moment, even more confused. "But what do you want in return then?"

Ailyn shrugged. "Don't know, try to be nice? When you have the time, you could tell us about your travels. Rainy days are always easier to endure when someone has a good story to tell, no matter if it's true or not. And when you need to blow off some steam, I'm sure our hunters wouldn't mind taking you with them."

That was the easiest request Possum ever got, but better not complain about it.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to a ravine deep in the forest. To both sides, caves led into the dark stone walls and the smell of many wolves covered the place, even though nobody was in sight.

Ailyn led her into one of the larger openings, down a tunnel into a big cave where a lot of wolves were gathered in small groups, eating, talking, playing and simply hanging out with each other. In the middle of the room, a huge pile of prey was lying around unguarded.

"As you can see, this is our main gathering cave. On days like this, most pack members prefer to stay here. Go ahead and get yourself some food. With all that noise your stomach makes, you have to be starving."

It was still hard to believe that all of this was supposed to be free.

Feeling oddly shy, Possum went over to the food pile. Shortly, she thought about taking a much-too-large piece just to see how Ailyn would react, but she quickly shook off that thought. Remember, you don't want to pick a fight with her, and you surely don't want to get kicked out into the rain again, she reminded herself.

So she took a hare from the pile, and then went into a quiet corner to eat. Many of the wolves looked over to her, but nobody came to bother her. Another thing she wasn't used to, being friendly, accepted.

After Possum finished, and watched the others for a while, and still nobody made a first move towards her, Possum started to feel... odd. Lonely, you might say -- even though she'd never admit it. So she decided to swallow her pride this one time and slowly went over to Ailyn, who was sitting with a stunning young male and a few other females. As they saw her approach, they instantly made space for her so she could sit with them.

"So, how about you introduce yourself, stranger?" Ailyn addressed her.

"Well, my name is Possum. I'm on my own, traveling around and doing all kinds of jobs to get by. It's hard, but I love it that way.", she proudly said.

They all regarded her with interest.

"Welcome to Nemos then, Possum. This is Ragnar, our lead hunter. He's the one to talk to when you want to join a party. To his right, Philomena, our most experienced scout, and to his left Lakiri, another traveler. You'll share a cave with her for now. The one to your left is Lakima, our head pupsitter. You're welcome to visit her and her fosterlings whenever you like, they'll be excited to meet you.", Ailyn introduced the others.

"You look tired, "Lakiri said softly. "I'll show you to our cave, then you can rest a bit before storytime."

Only now Possum realized how tired she actually was, now that her stomach finally stopped complaining, and her fur was drying, so she agreed and let Lakiri show her the way.

Their sleeping cave was bedded with dried moss, soft fur and feathers, and she fell asleep nearly instantly after she laid down – for the first time in weeks without feeling like she'd have to have one eye open for the rest of the night.

. . .

Living a carefree life surely had its perks but it was also rather boring. Possum hadn't been in a fight for... what, weeks?
At first, she had doubted that any pack could live in peace with all neighbors, but apparently it actually worked. However, there was one thing that she simply couldn't understand. It had been in the back of her mind for a while, and now she needed answers. So the next time she was talking to Ailyn, she asked:

"When you don't have any enemies around, why do you have so many pupsitters staying behind? Seems like you're wasting potential there."

"Is that so?" Ailyn gave her a strange look, her eyes sparkling with mischief. It was a bit concerning, normally she wasn't like this.

But of course Possum had to stand her ground now. "That's my opinion.", she replied, trying to stare Ailyn down.

"In that case, how about we make a deal? At the naming ceremony this evening, I'll assign you one puppy. You will be responsible for it until it's old enough to be on its own. If you manage that and still think it's easy, I'll consider picking more hunters and scouts. But if you give up or give me the impression you changed your mind, you have to tell me the story of that spy mission you never want to talk about – with all embarrassing details.", Ailyn suggested, not once even blinking.

Possum couldn't hold her gaze any longer and had to break the eye contact. Angry about herself for this little lost battle of mind, she growled: "Deal!"

She wasn't up to be a nanny, but really, how hard could it be? She couldn't let Ailyn win again, that much was for sure.

. . .

As it turned out, pupsitting can be very hard. Not the first weeks. Those were easy. Keep the little bug warm until mom returns. No challenge.

But from the day Mortem opened her eyes, she simply wouldn't stop trying to get away! You look away for a second and she has already made her way through half of the cave.

It only got worse when they started talking. At first, Possum had wished for this to happen so at least Mortem would understand her and they'd be able to have a conversation. She hadn't considered that once a pup starts talking, they never stop. And those endless questions! Why can't we go outside? Why can birds fly but wolves don't? Why can't trees talk? Can I eat this? Or this? When is mom coming back? It was a surprise all those pupsitters were still sane!

By the time Mortem really started walking, Possum was close to quitting, very close. All that kept her from it was her pride and for the first time she wasn't sure if it was the right choice to be stubborn right now.

Ailyn seemed very amused, it was clear she had long seen Possum's struggles and only didn't step in to see how long Possum could hold on for the only reason not to admit a failure.

After three months, Possum finally had to admit her defeat. On that day, Mortem had somehow gotten the weird idea she'd be the queen of all bees. To Possum, it seemed harmless, so she didn't intervene and let Mortem play. But as she didn't have an eye on the little bug for a minute, everything went chaos. Mortem tried to steal some honey, the angry bees stung her multiple times and even followed her when she fled to the den, causing many of the other wolves to get stung, too. Possum was one of the few walking away unharmed, what didn't exactly make the others less angry with her.

But the worst thing about this was the feeling of regret that just wouldn't leave her alone. Possum had never cared about what others thought of her, but in this place, the whole world seemed to be upside down. It hurt that they were angry at her, more than a hundred bee stings would. She had retreated to a hill a bit away from the den and hid under a large shrub with thorny vines. Possum didn't want to face the pack again just yet, she was way too ashamed of herself. How could she let that happen?

No matter how much she tried, she couldn't find rest or fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes she heard the angry humming of the bees again, and the pained screams of Mortem and the surprised wolves at the den.
In the middle of the night, soft steps approached Possum's hideout.

"Leave me alone!", she growled. The last thing she needed right now was a sermon about her failure.

But of course, Ailyn came to her anyway. Possum curled up into a ball and hid her nose under her tail, ignoring her visitor as good as possible.

To her surprise, Ailyn didn't say anything. She just laid down next to Possum, resting her head on her paws, watching the night outside of the shrub.

"You knew something like this would happen, didn't you? Why did you let me care for a pup? Why couldn't you just say it's to protect them from their own stupid baby brains? Did you do this to laugh at me when I fail?", Possum snapped, barely holding back her tears.

Calmly, Ailyn replied: "Yes, I knew I'd set you up for failure. But I didn't laugh at you, nobody did, I promise. You desperately needed a lesson, that's why I did it. It appears to me your parents never taught you to care for another being. They didn't teach you about taking responsibility for anyone else than yourself, about kindness or moderation.

"Truth is, I don't send out more hunters because we already get by very well, and claiming more prey from the forest would sooner or later destroy the natural balance. There wouldn't be enough to go around anymore, we'd be endangered of starving and very likely to get in conflict with the neighboring packs. I have the luxury of leading a pack that doesn't need every single adult to be a hunter. I can afford to leave them behind, raise the next generation and make sure everyone's needs are met. Not every leader is that lucky. But if I would have told you so the day you asked, would you have listened?"

Possum didn't answer that. Of course she wouldn't have.

"Also, I wanted you to experience what it feels like to care about someone. I can tell you like Mortem, even though you try to hide it. That she got hurt today matters to you. Sooner or later, you might have puppies of your own. When you make your mistakes here, in a safe environment with a skilled healer, you won't make it again when you're out in the wild all on your own. Mortem will recover quickly. For a puppy you can't watch the whole day because you also have to provide food, accidents like this one can be lethal. I needed to teach you this, to protect you in the future."

Possum couldn't hold back the tears any longer. She understood now. Still, she couldn't find any words of gratitude. She didn't have any for the malestorm of feelings raging on inside of her.

"I want to leave tomorrow.", she finally managed to say, her voice breaking a bit.

She couldn't do this for another day. It was too much. Hostile environments were what Possum was used to. Being cared about, and caring for others... It confused her, there were so many feelings attached to it, so much responsibility. She wasn't ready for that, not yet. And she had the feeling that if she'd stay here any longer, she'd never leave again. She'd settle down, find friends, maybe a mate, have an ordinary life. The opposite of what she'd always wanted.

"I understand.", Ailyn said, and judging by the longing look in her eyes, she really did. She too had once been on her own, having to care for nothing but herself, being free of the weight of so many lives depending on her. If she missed it sometimes?
"Please know that you're always welcome to return here. We'll never turn you away. When you're ready to settle down, maybe think of that.", she quietly added and raised, about to leave.

"Wait!", Possum called out. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want to be alone right now.  "Would you stay with me? Just for tonight?" Her voice trembled as she asked. She'd never done this before, asking for affection. She'd never admit it, but she was too scared of getting rejected and left behind.

Ailyn laid down again, a bit closer than before, her silken fur brushing against Possum's. They spend the night together, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking, while keeping each other warm. The next morning came way too fast for Possum's taste.

Ailyn surprised her again, by walking off with her in the same direction, away from the den. At Possum's questioning glance, she said: "Won't hurt anyone when I'm not there for a day. I need to make sure you start off safely. You've become quite important to me, you know?"

Possum swallowed, suddenly feeling a big lump in her throat. They both didn't talk much as they made their way to the border and a bit farther into the next territory. At noon, Ailyn stopped and said: "I have to head back now. Don't be a stranger, send word with the crows when you need anything."

Before Possum could reply, Ailyn turned around and ran off. It took a while until Possum forced her paws to walk on in the opposite direction. Some trouble would get her mind off this place, off the black and white female and most importantly off all those weird new feelings. As she picked up the smell of coyotes, she instantly headed after them. Round up some of this food stealing bastards, that's exactly what she needed right now. And then? Who knows. Off to the next pack.

Possum continued to wonder in the forest, she stayed downwind and close to the ground to avoid being spotted by the elk in front of her.

She hopped up, running full speed at the elk, before feeling a terrible pain in her side. She was launched a couple feet and her head was spinning. She was met by two wolves. One, had three eyes, and a crow that watched her. The second one, was completely black with a pendant that hung from its neck.

"Speak." The three eyed wolf spoke.

"Traveling through," Possum spat at her. "Made me lose my meal." She growled.

"Don't hunt in our territory." The black wolf mumbled and began to trot towards the elk.

Possum stood up, looking over at the elk, in the middle of being tackled, the other wolves from the pack had taken down the elk. Impressive.

"Name." The crow from behind the wolf said.

"Possum. You?"

"Hainley."

Hainley trotted over to the elk, to help the hunters drag it to their eating den. Possum followed shortly after.

Once getting into the pack place, a pregnant, elegant, wolf approached. This pregnant wolf was bound in leather, with silver linings along her. She had a blue teardrop pendant that fell just below her chest bone.

"Hello Possum, I'm Asena. I heard you already met some of my wolves."

Asena spoke boldly, Possum knew her power. Hainley watched from behind Asena, almost waiting for Asena to yell 'attack'.

"When are you due?" Possum asked, and Asena smiled.

"Oh, a couple of days, actually. I'm quite excited, I usually would've met you myself when you got attacked by Hainley and Odin, but I'm protecting my pups."

Asena frowned at the last sentence. Possum understood it was time for her to move on to another part of the den.

"Before you leave, make sure to say goodbye, eat what you want, be nice to everyone else." Asena strongly said before going into a cave, laying down, and slightly sticking out of the cave to watch.

Possum stayed for a couple of days, she knew this pack was intense and liked the protection she felt. This pack stood tall, the wolves were muscular, even the pupsitters.

By the third day, Possum was urging to leave. The pack followed her to the border, Possum turned around, and was met by Asena, in her face.

"I heard news, that you used to be a spy?" A rumble came from Asena's throat.

"Yes, used to be." Possum stood tall in front of Asena.

"I don't know your business, but if I find out you spied on my pack..it's off with your head." Asena bared her teeth.

"Off with your head!!" The crow on Hainleys back repeated.

Possum felt threatened, she wasn't spying on this pack, but she understood. News traveled fast, and her past came with her.

"Goodbye." Possum said to everyone before running off.

Possum had traveled south from the forest, she eventually made her way into the desert. She had gone for days without a sustaining water source, and she knew she'd either have to turn back soon or find another pack to take her in.

Take her in, ugh, she hated that phrase. It made her sound pitiful. She was anything but pitiful.

Possum suddenly stopped, her ear flicked, she heard a sound, was that… humming?

She nimbly ducked behind a large rock and scoped the barren territory. She pinpointed a young wolf, female with a flamboyant coat, maybe a year her younger, skipping around without a care in the world.

Possum considered her, she was small with a thin pelt, but very clearly well fed. No way a little thing like that would survive on her own- she might be her ticket to shelter from the sweltering heat.

Possum turned on all her charm and strode up to the wolf, trying to appear both in charge and nonthreatening. The wolf took at step back upon noticing her, wary of the newcomer but clearly interested.

"Well hello there! It's nice to see a friendly face around- The name's…"

Possum considered her next words for a second. In her last lands, she was chased out of the territory because of a sloppy mistake. She gave away a little too much information and it cost her everything. Maybe it was time to be a bit more conservative with what truths she tells others. She decided to lie about her name, for now at least.

God forbid she find out that these wolves actually know her. She may have a bit of a reputation, after all.

"…Posey. My name's Posey. Do you happen to know somewhere a gal could rest her paws for a night or two?"

The younger wolf wagged, "Well nice to meet you stranger! My name's Campfire- you'd be welcome to come back to my pack with me! We always take in travelers, aw shucks, we built a whole cave for y'all!"

Perfect. She was in. Possum followed Campfire back to her den- it was almost too easy. Campfire talked and talked practically the whole time, giving away practically everything about herself. Some wolves were just talkative, Possum supposed.

She learned that her new escort was a newly appointed scout, she just came out of her apprenticeship and replaced one of the newly retired old scouts. Campfire had family back home, a mom and two brothers, yadda yadda. Possum almost tuned her out until-

"- Yeah, and so basically the two leaders have been fighting ever since! They can't get along, honestly I don't think anyone in the pack, or even my family gets along too well these days…"

Campfire looked at the ground sadly, and Possum felt a surprising pang of sympathy. She supposed that however annoying the yellow wolf might be, she was endearing in a way.

"Hey kid, no pack comes without issues. Take it from me, I've seen quite a few, there isn't a single wolf out there who hasn't been in some kind of fight with their loved ones."

Campfire perked up at that, reassured by her statement. She then turned her head, "Oh! We're here!"

Possum analyzed the densite, like her new companion the wolves were all lithe with short fur, and piercing, intense eyes. She supposed it was the best build for desert life.

A reddish-blonde male carrying herbs put down his bundle for a second to call out, "Aviala! Campfire's brought back another one!"

A large, maned she-wolf poked her head out of the cave situated at the head of the site and looked in Possum's direction. She strode down the rocks gracefully, holding herself high. Possum supposed this was the leader.

Her brain highlighted all the information Campfire told her, the leaders were fighting… something about a civil war… argh, she should have listened. That could be important for her survival if she ever needed to exploit it.

Campfire introduced her with the fake name, and this Aviala wolf looked at her gently. "Welcome to the Spur Pack Posey, we're happy to have you as long as you want. I know the desert cam be a bit rough, so rest up as much as needed."

Possum bowed her head respectfully as Campfire led her to the traveler's den and showed her to a pre-made pile of bedding.

Over the next few days Possum started letting her guard down just a bit. She got to know some of the other travelers, went on some casual hunts with them, and shared stories. Her stories might have only been half-truths but well, it's the bonding experience that counts. She even made a few sale, specifically with the pack's main herbalist Vrikira.

Vrikira was very interesting in bartering and betting with her for some of her more rare plants, something which Vrikira's assistant, the reddish-blonde male from before (she couldn't remember his name for the life of her. Candy? Casey? Something with a C…) greatly protested. It was fun.

She spent most of her time however, with Campfire. The younger was so excited to have found "her very own traveler!" to bring back to the pack, and such a mysterious one at that, she just had to know everything about Possum.

It was so annoying. Like, couldn't she just leave her alone? Possum was used to spending time with elite warriors and sly tricksters, she had no time for happy-go-lucky yearlings. She definitely didn't stay a few extra days, just so she wouldn't have to say goodbye to her.

She definitely didn't wish, only for a second, that she could have been born under different circumstances and grown up as Campfire's friend, just as happy and free as she was.

She definitely didn't feel a tear streaming down her face as she walked away, Clutching the silly little silver bracelet Campfire gave to her as a good-bye present.

With a determined sigh and hardened eyes, Possum moved on to her next adventure.

Possum ventured off far, wandering into the mountains. She definitely needed to find a place to rest her paws soon. That's when she saw something.

Possum hid behind a tree as she watched a hunting group in action. Unfortunately for her she was a bit too late to hide. One of the hunters snuck away from the group and walked towards her.

"'Ello! Who might you be pretty lady?" The admittedly charming wolf had asked. Possum really didn't like the cockiness this guy was giving off. He looked... Strange. She could almost see another eye underneath his charms. It was almost like he was staring into her soul.

"The names..." she thought, she didn't recognize the lad, so she assumed it would be safe.

"Possum, and who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Oliver, I'm on a hunting mission right now... Care to join me back at my pack?"

There is was.

She really didn't want to be romanced by this dude, but she did need the break. Possum accepted and joined him back to the pack. None of the others seemed to notice her however, the pack was large so perhaps they were busy. She preferred it this way anyway. The pack did treat her well despite this, she was able to comfortably get through her pregnancy and wasn't made to fulfill a role.

Once Possum's pups were ready to fend for themselves she snuck off. She was tired of the scenery and was off once again.

[A/N: Pulled from neglectful den, spite lore added by Proxy. This is the unabridged version]

She had never felt hunger like this before.

As a traveler, Possum was certainly no stranger to scrappy prey or lean winters. But even in the worst of times, there was never – no, nothing – ever like this. This was a hunger which seemed to manifest into an animal unto itself – one which bit, and growled, and gnawed at the inside of her belly. She was as though she had swallowed an angry badger, that was trying to claw its way out of her gut.

Possum lay, curled up in the stranger's den, and shivered; painfully aware of the way her ribs stitched at her side. At times, the hunger seemed to subside – only for it to rear its=s head again and come back with a vengeance, more slavering and ravenous than ever before. All Possum wanted to was stop thinking about it, but what else was there to think about? Only the cold, rocky earth beneath her – and the memory of what a fool she'd been.

...

The pack had seemed friendly enough, on first glance. Too friendly, in retrospect. They had welcomed Possum into their territory with open paws, and invited her to share a meal with them. Just like so many of the other packs before. By the time Possum realized something was wrong, it was too late.

Suddenly, she was surrounded – by snarling teeth, hurling insults – calling her a liar, a thief, and a spy. Possum was in such shock, she could hardly find her voice to defend herself. Her claims of innocence were quickly drowned out by accusations. Her words finally cut off as the alpha's teeth buried in her scruff, and they dragged her to their prisoner's den.

Possum curled her tail around her nose, angry at the injustice of at all.

All of these things were partially true, of course – at least at some point in her life. But she had never even met these wolves before! Much less so much as even sniffed any of their rotten prey.

Possum had never believed in karma, but if there was such a thing, she supposed this was it. It would have been more fitting had her past finally caught up to her – had she been found by one of the wolves she had wronged, and been forced to pay recompense for her crimes. That, she reasoned, would have been entirely fair. But instead, here she was – the one time she was innocent – held prisoner for a crime she didn't commit.

Thankfully, this pack made the same mistake as many of those who had met Possum before. They underestimated her.

While she had been considerably weakened from their attempt to starve a confession out of her – Possum was no fool. Possum spent most of her time lying on the floor, trying to make herself look as weak and pathetic as possible – which, given her current state, was thankfully easy.

The guard patrols soon became a lot less vigilant. During a full-moon celebration, when the pack was busy reveling, drunk on guarana and howling in the moonlight, Possum made her escape.

Though of course – not before stopping at the pack's hoard, retrieving her bag, and stuffing it full of as prey, herbs, and trophies as she could carry. After going through all this, she was going to make damn sure it was worth it – and may as well actually commit the crimes they had accused her of.

This decision was nearly her undoing, however, as she was caught halfway through her raid by the pack's deputy – who clamped onto one of her back legs as she tried to make her getaway, as the other wolves closed in. This time however, Possum was ready for them.

She fought like dozen wolves, snarling and snapping in every direction. The hunger drowned out all other pain, her feeble body fueled by desperation and spite. Possum didn't care whether or not she made it out of this fight – so long as they did not take her back to that cave alive. She thrashed like an eel, biting at everyone and everything in reach. At last, she managed to hook one of her back claws into the deputy's nostril, and twisted until she felt something rip.

He let her go with a yelp, and Possum scrambled back to her feet, sprinting away with her stolen goods as fast as her legs could carry her. She was vaguely aware of the blood running down her in various places, but she wasn't sure who's it was. She would figure out the details later.

Only when she was sure she had lost them, did Possum allow herself to slow her run to a crawl, and stop to lick her wounds.

In a way, Possum supposed she deserved it. She had let her guard down. Being around so many friendly wolves for so long, she had nearly forgotten the fundamental law of the wild – do whatever it takes to survive. Take what you want. Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed.

Possum held her head high, and tried not to limp, as the first proof of winter began to fall.

No, she decided. This was not karma. This was a warning. A friendly reminder of what happens if you put your faith in others.

Next time, she would be more careful.