one I was going b

e would sense it somehow, the way she always seemed to know wh

unanswered questions, by half truths, by the way everyone spoke around

arning. The pack house was restless. I could feel it in the air shifti

was miss

of it as I moved th

t come ba

n near the e

el's f

their sentence

e followed

e. The closer I got to the tree line, the more familiar that tight, electric feel

visible boundary

the same way it always

le wrong. The birds were gone. The wind moved without sound. Even m

stinct more t

p to be caused by falling trees. Then disturbed earth, claw

ach tig

when I sm

oo

arried on the damp air. I slowed, forcing myself to breathe through my

I saw

e base of a massive cedar tree

ac

tlessly at the canopy above, frozen in surprise. His chest bore d

knees before I c

, even though I already knew there woul

't a rand

as a m

snapped b

nd, heart i

his expression dark with somet

you do?" h

ack. "Why didn't you te

"Because knowing p

gesturing to the body. "This does

he was seeing me clea

have come," h

ldn't keep de

s spoke. The forest pressed in

l exhaled, l

posed to happen

" I e

"The line was cr

chill straig

t li

mething in his eyes shifted

een watching

ed. "Who'

hesit

he sa

that knows

n my ears. "I don't

em," he replied.

d into me, heavy

y, looking back at the body. "Wha

ropped. "It to

d wouldn't look at me. They moved with grim efficiency, like this was not th

t the same time. Somewhere between fear and anger, somethin

left, swallowing the evidence, erasing th

new bet

, the pack

rning. For

ved staffs, charms etched with symbols I recognized from my grandmo

he edge, unnotic

quietly. "You should

d to," I

y face. "You'

k I alw

moment, before she glanced away. "Th

r do I,

started

t

a

calling to one another. My chest tightened painfully with ea

artled by the sensation. It was

gaze acros

he didn't

ave Crescent Va

y head sl

ened. "This is

a child you c

nce

ly, replaced by somethin

he said, "If you stay, you

"Then stop pretending I'

red. Somewhere in the distance, a t

ls grew

os

within me, someth

n't a

n't a

as a

rtai

the forest had ta

at it was com

e