*
About an hour before dawn, Sierra was out of the cottage with a thick coat over her body to keep out the cold. She hurriedly made her way across the clearing and straight towards the trees, making sure that she wasn’t seen.
Her footsteps were muffled by the snow, and she was able to make it past the trees without anyone seeing her. Her face was freezing off after only a few minutes, but she kept on walking. Her resolve kept her going, and the knowledge that she would have to return before Leonard or Shiela woke up. She needed to be sure that they would come looking for her, which was why she chose not to shift as she scampered away down the small winding path between the trees and the shrubs.
Her breath was coming out foggy, and her nose was so cold it was almost burning. But she mer
