It had, admittedly, taken Edie longer than she'd anticipated to return to the forest to gather the rest of her belongings. She'd taken a few days to settle into Frost's home and meeting the other members of her new pack. Frost had been so welcoming to her in making sure that she got all moved into her room and new clothing bought for her. Even though she'd mostly just spent time getting used to sleeping in an actual bed instead of on the floor of her tent in the woods. Admittedly, she'd probably slept more than she should have, simply because it was so restful. Even though Edie liked to think herself remarkably independent, she had to admit that it was so wonderful to be back in a pack. Though she'd never vocalize it, she was definitely very, very thankful for everything that Frost was doing for her.

She'd found her tent with practiced eased, thankful to see that it was untouched. There weren't a lot of things in there that were valuable, though the only things she had from home were in that tent. Edie, though she was hardly the sentimental one, couldn't bear to leave it behind. She stepped into the tent, reaching to flick on the small lamp she'd purchased. It illuminated the small space, giving her just enough light to pack up the things that she had. It wasn't much, really. It was just a duffel bag full of things. Her clothing was tattered from overuse â€" it hardly looked her own compared to the clean fabrics she wore currently. Easily, she shoved the tattered clothing into the duffel bag. It was hard to believe she'd spent nearly three months in the tiny tent, sleeping alone in the woods. Now that she had a pack to call her own here, she truly wanted to be near them. They were sweet girls, and Frost had certainly proved himself to be a pleasant companion. It was in her best interest to hurry and return home to continue to bond with her new pack.

She'd just zipped up the bag and had begun to stand when she caught the metallic scent of them. Dark Hunters. They weren't on top of her yet, but close enough that any chance of getting away unnoticed would be difficult. Her best chance of survival would likely be to hide, though they could easily find her, she was sure. Her power was useless to her here. She could heal anyone else in an instant, but she had to rely on her own Were healing. And one misplaced shot would have her out. She could run, but it would mean leaving her things behind with no chance of coming back to get them. If the hunters got wind of a were in the vicinity, it wouldn't be safe to come back here. Perhaps with Frost, but admitting that the reason she wanted her things was for entirely sentimental purposes wasn't something she wished to share, even with him. Admitting she needed anything was hard for her. She didn't want anything to be used as a weakness against her.

Without hesitation, Edie forced her shift on herself. It was so easy for her. Where as a child it had hurt and made her scream out in pain, now she would be a girl in one breath and a fox in the next. Her were form was such a change from her human form. It was always an adjustment at first to adapt to being a mere eight inches tall. It was the reason she'd neglected to let Frost know of her form â€" and still hadn't mentioned it. She'd tell him when the time was right. Not before. She would be in control of that moment. Though right now, that thought was fleeting as her ears turned in the direction of the hunters. Fuck, they were close. She stepped out of the tent, her gaze pushing in the opposite direction of the noises. There wasn't just the sound of hunters' feet, but something else entirely. Another Were?