r washing over my skin

the world came into fo

forming a scream that would nev

g, mute?" The voice

of Baron's prefe

empty bucket and a self-sa

x-tousled, lips sti

ad," she said, kicking

he most useful thing yo

he gold-imprinted crest of Moon Bliss that ap

in his roo

ex still clung

my hair stuck uncomfortabl

had dulled into a h

mount of biting my

mbling with cold and

hed dram

d, turning her back on me

to go. "You're dulling the

through the sile

a lamb for the slaughter, E

on the bed, shirtless, with scratches

he informed me

tic if you th

mark of yours at this poin

d've at least crawled out on

rs over his chest. "She's alway

even loo

t.

eed to be

r dripping down my body, my cloth

to shreds and there was no

o straight to

eded to

l as soon as I knew n

es and whispering pines, to the clearing I'd fou

wate

ol, its mist rising into the

where the spray

ove. And for the first time that day

et the hum of water soothe

ir, closing my eyes, trying to scr

was tired of holding back run down my

the roots of an old birch tree.

trouble. But I wasn't

ve enough to

the waterfall

presence and when I open

, not a werew

rocks, barefoot, his legs

ike moonlight on scales, and

ere too sharp for

heart thudd

his head a

s voice said-in my mi

n't spoken. His lips hadn't

ou can hear me, silly," he said. "You don't talk wi

ock and padded closer, hi

asked, tilting his head sli

n I closed it again when I remembered tha

fro

-of-factly. The big ones. Espec

s I could. The boy smiled too and,

lking abo

ded s

erious. It won't be long now. You shine too bright a

t h

ted to him, the

are

for a while." Especially when you come to lay ag

stone again, and I

e the

ign

that," he replied, "I

to touch, reached out and l

ething," he sai

wished I had. I really did. I r

anis

t. As though he'd ne

ghost, but I could still feel the warmth

legs shaking, my heart

hat I'd forgotten. But something in me shift

t tore through the moment, distr

and seemed to come from the

ned-a

outer clearing near my shack

my shack. They all seemed to

Baron with his regular

nt. He never was. He had abandoned

s crossed, a sadistic smile

he sneered. "O

, my hear

them see you flinch

y alrea

d slowly t

said. "Tensions are high, and t

"She'll be per

owd. "So we're going t

what he was planning, but I

They chased." I turned then and saw some

stern ridge before sunrise,

im smile spread

'm sure they'll have

mbled throu

that moment. I cou

You've got two minutes.

dn't

en I s

y kept in the kennels and le

ringing th

ack members stepped forward and right

ching, skin ripping, fur exp

ano

anot

ath hi

ormally dormant

I d

the woods as the how

... I wasn't