Page 149 of Moonless

I lift my hand.

“Two days. Just like I promised.”

Keer comes close enough to put his nose against my fingers. I rest them between his ears for a moment, and he leans into my hand.

Big softie.

Then his nose goes up my sleeve to my right shoulder and pushes in under the cloak, and he stops. That’s where the bite is.

Well. That didn’t take long.

The fur comes up all along his back. He looks past me at Rauk, and his lip lifts off his teeth.

Rauk stays where he is and lets Keer look.

Oh, no you don’t. I get a fistful of the thick fur behind my brother’s ear and hold on.

“Yes. I asked him to. You can shout at me when we’re home.”

He looks at me, and his ears flatten, but the lip stays up.

“We’re both coming. You can take us the rest of the way.”

Axan pushes his muzzle against my other wrist, under the bow, until I give him some attention too.

“You as well. I’ve missed you being unpleasant.”

He blows through his nose against my fingers and turns toward the settlement.

We follow at a walk. Keer’s limping on the slopes and Axan’s slow over the roots, and they still have to keep stopping to wait for us. I used to be the fast one.

Where the path narrows, Rauk lets go of my hand and walks right behind me. I can feel him back there without looking. I can’t feel Keer at all.

Still hate that.

I have to wait for him to turn around before I can see how annoyed he is.

“We’re walking as fast as we can.”

His ear flicks, and he keeps going.

When I can hear people beyond the trees, I call him back.

“Keer. Trousers.”

He stops and looks over his shoulder.

“I promised him. Both of you, go on ahead and find some.”

Axan looks from me to Rauk. Then he turns and limps off at a trot. Keer follows, and they disappear along the path.

Rauk watches them go. Both his ears are pointed past them, at the voices, and they stay there.

I bump his arm. “I told you I’d insist.”

“You did.”

That’s all I get. His face doesn’t move, and his hand’s shut around mine hard enough that I can feel every claw. He lets a long breath out through his nose.