Trees had grown overnight, throughout the town, without as much as a whisper. Morning found thousands of bleary-eyed people wandering through the suddenly changed streets, stumbling over the torn-up pavement, gawking at thick canopies hiding the skies and the songbirds. I remember being awake already, shivering, curled up, hugging my knees until they hurt. The cold rooftop against my burning forehead felt good. The moon was still up, refusing to let go of its place, its kiss searing my flesh, making me feverish and insane. I screamed, and screamed, as bones shifted and pain surged. The blood splashed all over me was not my own.<br/><br/>I blinked the memory away and looked around, gazing at what was clearly a dreamscape. Ruined buildings melded with a forest. Wolves and children wrestled; yips and laughter mixed, producing a mess that made me smile. Other parents looked at the wild children with similar approval. A warm wind bore scents of home. The huge oak beneath my palm vibrant with Life. Someone had a hand on my shoulder - his touch made my heart skip a beat, then surge...<br/><br/>The softest sound rouses me from sleep. It's well past midnight; Luna shines from above, pregnant and friendly, Her silvery light bathing the surrounding roofs and treetops in silver. I peer through half-lidded eyes, my movements very slow, searching for the sound that woke me.<br/><br/>There. Someone running far below, at street level, gaudy coloured jacket flashing through foliage. I can hear his breathing from here - he is panting, near exhaustion. His male scent giving way to panic and hopelessness. Two big shadows follow him, closely, the sounds they emit bestial, playful. Recognition flashed through my thoughts. I knew the man. All the small cruelties from Before surfaced, making me frown.<br/><br/>My companion stirs from his own sleep, the echo of my unpleasant thoughts prodding him awake. He looks at me with questioning eyes.<br/><br/>"Ah, it's no-one important. Let your children play," I whisper to him and snuggle closer, his fur warm and pleasant against my bare skin.<br/><br/>There's still hours before the Sun kisses the overgrown town...