Ravensblood Forest The last wish.

The enormity of this loss was easily witnessed upon Mou, from the way he softened to the way he sighed, or the hang of his head, or the shift of tension across his face. At least there would be another body out there - another set of eyes at the ready, should the child make an appearance.

While Mou thought of all the places he still had yet to look, there came the low-slung sound of something among the ferns. It could not have been very big. Before long there came a yelp, a series of worried little sounds as a tiny body struggled among the greenery; Mou's heart felt as if it stopped beating entirely.

He was not imagining it. The woman heard it also and moved to scour one area while Mou found his bearings again, and followed, looking for the source of the sounds. The woman even began detangling the girl from the ferns and things, while Mou worked on the other side; and when Vesper was finally free, he hoisted her high, as if he'd just dug a toy out of the bottom of a cereal box.

It was a glorious moment. A giant win for the worried father.

Vesper was carried a short distance to where the path evened out and the grass was tall, rather than choked by debris and ferns, where he placed her down with great care. He doled out a few heavy licks across the girl's head and face, probing softly but quickly with his nose for any signs of injury, and then breathed a final sigh of relieve over her.