Shani woke quickly, never having really been one for slow awakenings, and looked around her in surprise. She was in Aster’s nest, a place she didn’t spend too much time in because her mother lived nearby and the young fire-fox could just hang out there instead, but it was still a place that she recognised. Aster’s words penetrated her mind, and Shani jumped up with excitement.

[colour=f8a810]“Yes! Training! Oh, I can’t wait to do some training! And helping!”[/colour] She skipped in a circle and charged out of the nest, a brilliant smile on her face. She was halfway there when her mother’s words rang in her mind. [i]‘Don’t go outside the village!’[/i] [colour=f8a810]“Oh…phooey.”[/colour]

She pouted, sitting back as she glanced in the direction of her home-burrow and back at where Aster was waiting patiently, looking between the two locations. With a heavy sigh, she slunk off towards her home, yearningly looking back at Aster and the other children gathering. But she couldn’t go with them – her mother asked her to stay in the village and that’s what she would do, however reluctantly. [colour=f8a810]“I really want to help out though…”[/colour]