The Sentinels come on, make it easy, say i never mattered.

Penn was a little surprised to learn she had no plans. He’d have thought her brother would’ve convinced her to go that one place… the uh… frozen doves… eagles… he couldn’t remember. That pack his older sister ran where he and Fenn had run into Fig way back when. At another time, he might’ve been pleased to hear his wayward, carefree spirit had rubbed off on her, but he was painfully aware that this meant he’d have no idea where to find her again once they parted ways. This might truly be it since he couldn’t tell her where he was headed anyway.

A crossroads. Now or never.

”The best things happen when you have no idea what you’re doing,” Penn replied, smiling wistfully. He wasn’t sure how much he believed that anymore, but it was what old Penn would’ve said. The whole, unbroken one.

She turned the question on him and he paused to consider it. He could tell her the truth. About all of it. How he’d fathered kids and run out on them like a spineless coward. How he’d screwed with the pack in the coast and been cast into the ocean. What it all had cost him. She seemed better since she’d bared her soul to him and gotten her pain off of her chest. Maybe it would be the same for him. Maybe she wouldn’t judge him. Or maybe she would, and maybe it would be a relief to know for sure if he was or wasn’t as horrible a being as he thought himself to be.

Now or never.

”Yeah, I got some errands to run to the East,” he answered finally, ”Couple things to check on. Then… who knows.”