Page 119 of Moonless

Keer’s growl quits. “Two days. If you’re not home by then, I come looking.”

“I’ll be there.”

Axan starts to walk, wincing when he straightens, and stops beside Keer. “Two days, Kes.”

She nods at him too.

Keer starts to turn, then stops.

“Mel misses you.”

Kestria’s fingers close around the edge of her sleeve.

“I miss her.”

Keer glances at Axan. “She had a message. Made me promise I’d tell you if we found you.”

“What?”

He rubs his forehead with his free hand.

“I’ve still got your bowl out, and people are starting to look at me funny about it, so come home. And no peed-on deer this time.”

I don’t ask.

Kestria laughs, then puts her good hand against her ribs. She bends a little, and the laugh ends in a hiss.

I reach for her elbow, but she straightens and wipes under her eye with her wrist.

Keer comes close enough to put his free hand on the back of her head. She leans her forehead against his chest, and he holds her there with blood still on his knuckles.

He’s got a hand on her again. But she’s the one who leaned in, so I stay where I am.

He lets her go, nods, and pulls the cloth away from his hips. He drops it at my feet, and his eye stays on mine while he does it.

Axan pulls his piece off too and balls it up in his good hand.

I groan and put my palm over my eyes, keeping the claws above my brow. Axan’s half of my shirt hits me in the chest.

I’ve only just covered them.

Kestria snorts beside me. She’s enjoying this. I lower my hand when the bones start cracking.

Keer backs away before he gets down on the path. Axan crouches farther along, braced on his good hand while fur spreads over his back. Both halves of my shirt are lying in front of me when they get up on four feet.

Keer looks back at her. She lifts her hand, and he turns down the path with Axan following. They limp through the first gap in the trees, and I lose sight of them, but I keep an ear on their steps until I can’t hear those either.

Kestria’s still facing the trees when I turn to her. “Let me see your arm.”

She looks down at her left shoulder.

“The other one. Where he tried to bite you.”

“He didn’t get me.” She holds it out, turning it so I can see.

The skin’s whole below the cuff, apart from a narrow red mark across her palm. He didn’t get her, then. I touch beside it with one blunt fingertip.

“The line.” She flexes her fingers. “From fishing.”