Her catharsis on the cliff wasn't all that it was shaped up to be. The feelings were still there, bubbling just beneath the surface. The anger, the uncertainty. She wasn't sure they'd ever go away.

And she was exhausted. The bags under her eyes had gotten darker, her expression gaunt and hollow on the lonesome walk back to her den. Her paws dragged, collecting all manner of dirt and debris.

For once, the darkness of her home felt stifling. The comfort she'd once felt in its heavy silence, now a threat, a promise of racing thoughts and heavier heart. For once, she... didn't want to be alone.

But being near her family brought risk. What if she hurt them? Got angry, lost control, and pushed them off another cliff? She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something like that ever happened again.

Her mouth twisted, and her eyes flickered up, now face to face with the old tree whose gnarled roots she'd awoken under.