Contents
Chapter 23
Overview
Wren and Xavier answer a scream and find Poppy cornered by a starving ridgehowler. Wren’s shots and Xavier’s intervention save Poppy, though Xavier is bitten. They leave an orphaned yearling pup in the wild. Back at the Dagger, Fiona heals Xavier and, despite mistrust, acknowledges he saved her daughter.
Summary
Hearing a terrified scream in the forest, Wren and Xavier sprint toward a clearing and find Poppy pinned against a boulder by a starving female ridgehowler. Wren shoots but initially wounds the wolf’s shoulder, enraging it. Xavier shields Poppy and takes the bite as Wren fires again, killing the wolf.
With the immediate threat over, Poppy steadies and the group discovers a near year-old ridgehowler pup hiding in the brush, likely the reason the mother attacked. Poppy pleads to help it, but Xavier and Wren insist it must remain wild, and they withdraw, leaving the orphaned animal to fend for itself.
They rush Xavier to the Dagger’s medical bay. Fiona, stone-faced and wary of Xavier, treats his mangled forearm. She channels healing, knitting skin and tissue until the wound vanishes, leaving Xavier pain-free.
As Xavier prepares to thank her, Fiona cuts him off, asserting she still doesn’t trust him. Nevertheless, she admits he saved Poppy’s life and offers a terse, heartfelt thanks, marking a fragile but important shift in their strained dynamic.
Who Appears
- Wren (Darlington)Narrator; shoots the ridgehowler, organizes retreat, and guides Poppy and Xavier to Medical.
- Xavier FordProtects Poppy, takes a bite from the ridgehowler, and is later fully healed by Fiona.
- PoppyTeenager cornered by a ridgehowler; wants to save the pup and calls her mother for help.
- FionaHealer and Poppy’s mother; distrusts Xavier but heals him and reluctantly thanks him.