Pain seared through her body as a paw hit her side. Her eyes blurred and she was barely breathing.

A voice beyond her whispered something. "You're just as pathetic as every other wolfperson we've come across. Heh." The hunter behind the voice came over to her, bent down, and lifted her chin. "Good luck without your pups." He let her chin fall and walked off.

She desperately tried to pull herself toward him, but he was long gone, and the fire around her seared her fur. She carefully pulled herself up into a sitting posture.

"Ow."

She pulled her arm away from a tiny flame and gently picked up a small portrait of three teenage wolfpeople. She leaned her head back and cried, holding it close. In the blink of an eye, her world came crashing down for the second time.

"Ma'am! Ma'am, are you okay?" A voice shouted.

She moved her head toward the voice and coughed a bit from the smoke. Tears stung her eyes. Her vision was still blurred from pain.

A man came through the smoke and spotted her. He rushed to her side and began checking all over her body for scraps and burns.

She just continued crying. Eventually, he turned his head and waved to two other guys. They rushed forward and helped him hoist her up and out of the fire. They got her to a soft grassy area and stood her up.

"What's your name, ma'am?" One guy asked.

She coughed and sighed. "It's Seashell."

The guys glanced at each other.

"I would like to know the name of my saviors," Seashell whispered, throat dry.

"My name is Sear." The guy to her left said.

"Mine's Droplet." The one to her right said.

The final wolfperson in front of her cleared his throat before her spoke. "Mine name is Mudfish. But you can call me Mud."