River:
The gravel crunched beneath my boots as I stepped out of the car.
Jasper was already there, as always - efficient, silent, opening the door before I had even reached for the handle. My beta had long mastered the art of anticipating my movements without a word.
The air here was different.
Not just cold, but charged. Though mid November had sharpened its edge.
I lifted my gaze to the large wooden signboard standing crookedly beside the narrow dirt road.
The North Witch's Burrow was carved into the wood in looping script, the letters filled with faded silver resin that shimmered faintly even in the dull afternoon light. Intricate symbols were etched along the border - protective runes woven so subtly into the design that a normal person would dismiss them as decoration.
I did not.
A woman stood beside the sign.
