Phantom Hollow brocktree

She didn’t fight him. Didn’t snap her teeth. She even gave up yelling.

Inwardly, Vaska sighed. Finally, someone sensible. You could never tell with wolves, especially emotional ones, like this chick seemed to be. But clearly not so much that she couldn’t reign herself in. From the way she sought to comfort the mangled girl, and from the age they clearly shared, Vaska decided these girls must have been sisters.

Hers was a funny promise to make. For all he knew, the girl was already slipping into whatever life came after this one. But Vaska held his tongue, despite the long glance he gave the stranger at his side.

He noticed, now, how thin she seemed. Surprising that the wind didn’t blow her over. A few more days and maybe she would have thoughts of eating carrion, too. Or maybe she wouldn’t. Other than the freckles on her face, he found her very ordinary. Perhaps her thoughts were ordinary, too.

Vaska hadn’t realized they’d reached the water until the ground shifted and ice cracked under his paw.

He blinked and took a swift step back, before he lowered himself to the ground so they could slide the mangled girl off.

Thought we’d use the water to wash her clean, he finally said, and his voice sounded quiet and raspy, even to his ears. Lower than he remembered, help me get her off me, will you? if they were to be saving her, he didn’t want to just drop her to the ground, after all.