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Description
Lafen's Past

Chapter 1    Borders

The only memory that Lafen had of her mother was her long golden tail, disappearing into the undergrowth, as Lafen's pack left her just outside the scent border.
At the time Lafen didn't understand what was happening, why she was being left there. Lafen wondered if her pack might come back, perhaps this was some kind of secret test that all the pups had to take, and that soon someone would burst out from the bushes yelling,
"You passed!"
But no one did.
Time passed slowly, but she waited there patiently, until night fell and the stars were out.
Lafen began to feel uneasy as the shadows crept towards her. She really wished that they would come soon...
Then Lafen realised that nobody was coming. She felt a heavy dread build up in her chest. A hot pain rose and Lafen clenched her teeth, her eyes welling with tears. Fear washed over her. Her pack...her family... had just left her there. Abandoned her.  Left her to die.
Once Lafen knew that she was alone, she ran. Running, running, running into the darkness. After running until her limbs ached and burned, Lafen stopped. It was already midnight.
She looked up into the gaping sky, searching for the moon, yearning its comforting light. But she couldn't find it. Her mother had once told her:
"The moon looks over us all when the sun is asleep. But it has to look after everyone else in this world and so turns its head a little more every night. Sometimes the moon turns it's eye away from us completely, and that is what we call a 'blind night'. This is when the moon isn't watching over us."
It was a blind night. Even the bright moon had abandoned Lafen. It could not see what wretched acts were being committed that night. It couldn't guide her safely through the unfamiliar forests. The trees stirred with the wind and leaves fell onto the rich and earthy ground. Lafen thought of her Mother. How proud she always looked, how strong. Then she remembered how her own mother had just cast her into the wild.
Drowsiness swallowed her up and she began to feel shaky.  Stumbling, she walked onwards until finally, she collapsed, and darkness closed in on her.

Description
Lafen's Past

Chapter 1    Borders

The only memory that Lafen had of her mother was her long golden tail, disappearing into the undergrowth, as Lafen's pack left her just outside the scent border.
At the time Lafen didn't understand what was happening, why she was being left there. Lafen wondered if her pack might come back, perhaps this was some kind of secret test that all the pups had to take, and that soon someone would burst out from the bushes yelling,
"You passed!"
But no one did.
Time passed slowly, but she waited there patiently, until night fell and the stars were out.
Lafen began to feel uneasy as the shadows crept towards her. She really wished that they would come soon...
Then Lafen realised that nobody was coming. She felt a heavy dread build up in her chest. A hot pain rose and Lafen clenched her teeth, her eyes welling with tears. Fear washed over her. Her pack...her family... had just left her there. Abandoned her.  Left her to die.
Once Lafen knew that she was alone, she ran. Running, running, running into the darkness. After running until her limbs ached and burned, Lafen stopped. It was already midnight.
She looked up into the gaping sky, searching for the moon, yearning its comforting light. But she couldn't find it. Her mother had once told her:
"The moon looks over us all when the sun is asleep. But it has to look after everyone else in this world and so turns its head a little more every night. Sometimes the moon turns it's eye away from us completely, and that is what we call a 'blind night'. This is when the moon isn't watching over us."
It was a blind night. Even the bright moon had abandoned Lafen. It could not see what wretched acts were being committed that night. It couldn't guide her safely through the unfamiliar forests. The trees stirred with the wind and leaves fell onto the rich and earthy ground. Lafen thought of her Mother. How proud she always looked, how strong. Then she remembered how her own mother had just cast her into the wild.
Drowsiness swallowed her up and she began to feel shaky.  Stumbling, she walked onwards until finally, she collapsed, and darkness closed in on her.