Emberwood the sorcerer’s apprentice.

Her brother being confused wasn't much of a surprise to her, and his answer was luckily what she'd figured too. Unfortunately, it provided zero explanation or insight, then, on what had gone wrong with Bronco.

Not you. Bronco. Ever since he came back, he's been different. And every time I try to ask, he just tells me I won't understand. Then he gets mad at me for not understanding when he hasn't even fucking let me try. I just keep trying to figure out if there's something I could have done better. I was really trying.

The tears were starting again. Fig wasn't the last wolf she wanted to cry in front of, but she didn't like it ever. She was just too strung out to worry about it.

What's the point in trying if it all just ends up like this anyway? If he never even noticed? There was no way Fig could answer that and she didn't even really need an answer. She didn't know what she needed. There wasn't much of anything right now that could make her feel better about any of this.

She'd told herself earlier that she was better off, but deep down, she couldn't stop running it over again, and again, and again. Wondering what she could have said, or done, or not said, or not done, to make things turn out differently.