She was changing, and she knew it. Being amongst these lands and meeting others, these beings were changing her, forcing her to remove her shell and reopen her heart to others. She was afraid, however. She was unsure if she could handle the pain of allowing others to get close to her again. She was afraid of losing more.

She slept underneath a tall tree, its towering branches reaching above her and shielding her from the sight of aerial creatures. She slept with her eyes shut tightly, her sides rising and lowering with her breathing. She sighed in her sleep, and her paws moved before her as if she was running. She whimpered and growled, her lips lifting in a snarl as she chased her dreams around.

With in her mind she chased her obsession, the hawk that taunted her in her awakened moments, and now she found herself chasing it even as she slept. She growled and whimpered; why was it such an obsession?

A hawk’s squawk echoed within her mind, ‘wake up my little Skygazer, time to take your first glimpse of your new world.’ A soft voice spoke to her. ‘The hawk is right, you must not give up. There are others with in this world that wish to be in your life.’

“Mother?” She asked, her dream fading from her. “Mother?”

She could not remember her mother well; all she had of her was the description her father gave her. She sighed with in her dreams, her eyes focusing away from the world of her mind’s creation. Her true sight began to return to her, clouded at first but soon reality was all around her. She sighed as she lifted her head up, still resting on her paws she looked around her. Gray orbs studied her surroundings as a memory clicked for a clear understanding of her reasons for falling asleep where she awoke.

That’s right, she began her words echoing in her mind. I returned to this place, She sighed, and then stood up pushing her body from the ground. I followed that damn bird, she laughed to herself. I just had to follow him. She shook her body causing her fur to lift and then settle about her form.

She lifted her head up, her gaze lifting to the dawning sky. Movement to her left caused her gaze to swing swiftly in that direction. Her hackles flared as the movement formed an all too familiar form before her. She snarled.

“You!” she growled, swinging the rest of her body to face the winged creature amongst the tree limbs. The bird tilted its head to the right and then opened its wings. It crowed a laugh and the she wolf snarled in response. In his own response the hawk lowered its head, his hazel gold eyes judging her. She continued to growl, “Stop.” She mumbled out between a snarl, “Before I come up there and eat you.”

The hawk raised its neck; spread its wings, and then squawked a laugh. In his laughter, the she wolf only grew angrier with the winged one. She couldn’t understand her reasons behind this sudden rage that grew upon her once she set her gaze upon the hawk, but something, something about him caused her blood to rush.

The hawk ceased his squawking and glanced calmly down upon the gray wolf, he tucked his wings to his side, raised his head and stood proudly upon his perch and before the wolf. Strangely she understood him, and this startled her from her snarling. “Wait?” she began, “what?” She tilted her head, and the hawk’s chest feathers puffed out. She sighed and sat before the hawk, “Why are you so interested in me?”

In reply the hawk lifted its sharp beak to the sky, spread his great wings, and then took off. “Wait!” Deirdre called after him, but the hawk soared far from her. “Wait…” She began to chase after it, but then remembered another reason for journeying out here, and sighed. “I’m not chasing you this time!” She shouted as she turned away and sat. As she sat, she pouted, “Stupid bird.”

With in the forest, close to a territory of coyotes is a wolf sitting beneath the towering trees. She sits with her back turned from the direction her obsession flew. Here she sighed, lifts her head to the sky and howls. Loneliness can be heard with in her voice, sadness eats at the tune of her song, and here she lowers her head her song ending with the closing of her eyes and the lowering of her head between her shoulders. She sighs and looks behind her. A single feather rests only a few steps beside her. She smiles, “I think I should start collecting those.” She tells herself picking herself up and going to pluck the feather up from the ground.