Haunted Wood Cicada night

The dark boy was hurt. He did not have the means to say why, or how he had allowed himself to feel so deeply devastated by Germanicus’ pulling away. It was not as if he had not grown used to the man steeling himself, returning to a dutiful soldier.

Still, he yearned more than he had ever in his young life. It made his belly ache with the power of it.

Crowfeather did not join Germanicus immediately. He waited until the night had drawn on, when his body trembled too much to pout on his own, before he crawled toward the silver shape of the eagle and pressed himself to the man’s body with a sigh.