The night was quiet, almost too quiet for Thornridge.
I stood on the hill just behind the packhouse, where the grass bent gently under the breeze. The moon shone bright above me, not quite full but close. Stars dotted the sky like scattered whispers, soft and endless. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the weight of the past settle deep in my bones.
This was my last night here.
Tomorrow, we would leave.
I had said my goodbyes. I had hugged Alera, kissed the forehead of every pup I had trained, and listened to old warriors murmur stories of my father and his strength. I had smiled when I needed to. I had promised to write. Promised to return, maybe one day. Promises that tasted like ash in my mouth, even when they were true.
But now it was just me. Me, the stars, and the land that had raised me.
