Marigold awoke with a strangled gasp, her chest tight, her limbs heavy, and with the fleeting sensation that she couldn’t breathe.

At first, she just figured it was Van sleeping on top of her again, crushing her with his absolutely ginormous body. But no, it was too quiet for that. There were no earth shaking snores being fed directly into her ears or hot breath wafting across her face. The clearing was peaceful. Serene.

Which meant that something was terribly wrong.

Van? She cast her gaze about, hearing the trickle of a distant river and little else. …Vala?

No response, and no sight of either of them. Or Gladiator. Or Zora.

Now this was really weird. Marigold had never been… alone before. For her entire — albeit somewhat short — life, there had always been someone; a brother, a guardian — always at least within earshot, if not immediately in sight. Had they abandoned her??? Surely not. Vanguard would keel over and die if someone wasn’t snuggling him and usually that someone was her. He’d never willfully leave her behind. Their moms… well. They’d spent six months of their lives raising her so surely they wouldn’t just give up the ghost now, out of nowhere. And where the fuck even was she???

She picked herself up off the ground, shaking off the gathering snow on her pelt. They must’ve just wandered off somewhere. Or they were pulling a prank and giggling in a bush nearby watching her fumble around like a newborn fawn. They’d be back soon.

Right?

She made her way to the river, for a drink and to clear her head. She felt all… discombobulated, with no one in sight and not one recognizable landmark. She sniffed for them as she went, trying to ignore all the unfamiliar scents bombarding her nostrils. One in particular seemed stronger than the others, but she wasn’t sure.

A twig snapped underfoot. Marigold froze. The sound reverberated like a gunshot in the still, morning air, sending the fur along her spine standing on end. Her ears prickled forward, and for a moment she just listened.