Heartkeeper

There was no calmer place in the prairie than the ghost forest. It probably had another name once, but it was long forgotten. The trees here looked like they had been burned, the earth was dry and cracked and nothing living ever sprouted from it. As if everything had been frozen in time.
So many wolves got lost here, just disappeared without trace. Even the surrounding packs avoided it at any cost. It was the perfect hideout for a raider pack, really. If they were ever followed, nobody dared come in here with them. And there was lots of space to hide from the others when you messed up.
Heartkeeper kicked a little rock around, biding her time until she had to go back to the others again. According to Ashfall's rules, she had comitted treason. She's be chased away if they knew. But they didn't, so she should be safe, right?
The big problem was, Heartkeeper wasn't ashamed of what she did. It felt good. She wanted to do it again. But if she did, sooner or later someone might see her. Ashfall might figure it out and then she'd be terribly mad. There was no running from the cheetah-wolf, she didn't get that name for nothing.
Heartkeeper was just about to go back to the others when something caught her attention. Her ears perked at the light voice drifting to her from far away, calling for her. Swearing, she truned and ran back to the edge of the forest. If Ratsnap got caught, she could be killed. Or worse, she could step into the forest and disappear forever. The Revelers might be safe here, but who knew if that was true for any outlaw or just them.
"You can't be here!", she seethed while she nearly toppled over the little coyote. "It's way too dangerous! Go back to where I left you!"
Ratsnap looked up at her, big eyes filling with tears. "But you were gone for so long and I'm hungry. Are you going to leave me?"
"No, of course not. We'll find a solution, alright? And I'll find you something to eat. But my pack will kill you if they see you. They don't like coyotes. And you can't go into this forest. You're not from here, you don't know the stories. But it's dangerous.", Heartkeeper tried to calm her down.
She had found the coyote pup earlier today. Her pack had abandoned her for being a runt, one mouth to feed that they deemed lost anyway. And Heartkeeper had helped her, dug her a little cave in a place where she'd be safe from the winds and promised to get her some food.
No, she didn't feel bad for this. She only felt angry. Outraged that this sweet little kid got the worst fate she could think of, being of a race that was hated by pretty much everyone, and then born one even her own family wouldn't care about. It wasn't fair. Ratsnap was so small, barely weaned.
"You just have to hold out a little longer, alright? I'll find you a place where you're safe. Surely there are others like you. They have to go somewhere, and I'll find out where it is and bring you there.", she promised. "But now, you have to stay in your cave and be quiet, alright? It's important."
Ratsnapped nodded and trotted back into her hole. Heartkeeper couldn't help but notice she was shivering. Her thin fur wasn't enough yet to keep her warm all alone. With a sight, she followed the pup and curled around her. "Just for tonight.", she told herself. "Just to make sure she won't freeze."