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A fire crackled to life under my careful tending. I skewered the meat on sharpened sticks and held them over the flames until they sizzled and browned. The roots I wrapped in leaves and nestled them among the coals to roast.
The accumulating snow outside served as a reminder of our disconnection from the rest of the world. It was just as well; isolation came naturally to me, yet this shared seclusion with Claudia stirred something new within me.
The aroma of cooking meat filled the air as I worked. My thoughts wandered back to Claudia’s question about mates and our solitary lives as amaroks. In truth, our kind rarely indulged in long-term companionship; it was against our nature—or so I always believed.
Claudia stirred under the furs, pulling me back from my reverie. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting mine with a sleepy haze before clarity washed over her features.
“Good morning,” she murmured with a stretch.
“Morning,” I replied with a nod toward the fire, where breakfast awaited her verdict.
She sat up and watched as I plated the food on flat stones warmed by the hearth’s edge.
“Breakfast is served—Amarok style,” I announced with a slight gesture towards our makeshift table laid out on the cavern floor.
Claudia’s eyes widened at the sight, but softened into an expression of gratitude as she moved to join me by the fire.
“Thank you,” she said as we began our meal together in companionable silence—the world outside continuing its wintry pause while we shared sustenance and an unspoken bond growing stronger with each passing moment.
The meal passed in a comfortable silence, and Claudia’s gaze held a spark of curiosity, eager to learn about the world through my eyes. As we finished eating, she bundled herself in layers of clothing, preparing for the day’s excursion. I handed her a pair of fur-lined boots, a necessity in the deep snow outside our refuge.
“Ready to see the wilderness as an amarok?” I asked.
Her eager nod lit her eyes with the thrill of adventure. We stepped into the crisp morning air, our breaths forming clouds that danced away into the sky. We walked on a secret path as the snow crunched beneath our steps.
“The key to moving through this terrain is understanding it,” I began, pointing out how the snowdrifts formed and where hidden obstacles lay beneath the white blanket. “Observe the subtle dips and rises; they tell you what lies beneath.”
Claudia followed my lead, her steps growing more confident as she learned to read the land. We ventured deeper into the forest, where trees stood like sentinels covered in snow. The profound stillness didn't stop the life that thrummed around us—hidden but vibrant.
“Now, tracking is about more than just following prints,” I explained, stopping by a series of marks that marred the otherwise pristine surface of the snow. “It’s about understanding behavior.”
I crouched beside the tracks—a set of delicate lines punctuated by occasional deeper impressions—and gestured for Claudia to do the same.
“These belong to a hare,” I said. “See how they’re spaced? Leaping long with occasional pauses.”
Claudia leaned closer, her breath coming out in quick puffs as she studied them. “It stopped here,” she said after a moment, pointing at a cluster of indents.
“Exactly.” A hint of pride warmed me at her quick grasp of the skill. “Now, look at this branch.” I brushed off some snow to reveal nibble marks on the bark. “It stopped to feed.”
We followed the trail further until it disappeared under a thicket of brush—a natural hideaway for creatures seeking refuge from predators or storms.
“Let’s try something larger,” I suggested next.
Our search continued until we found what we were looking for—a set of much larger tracks with distinctive claw marks that cut through the snow like calligraphy.
“These are from an elk,” I said as we traced their path. “Strong and steady—the heartbeats of these woods.”
Claudia mirrored my movements as we tracked, her focus unwavering as she absorbed every detail I pointed out. We came upon a clearing where several elks gathered, their breaths steaming in the cold air as they grazed on whatever greenery they could find beneath the snow.
“Beautiful,” Claudia whispered beside me.
We watched in silence from behind cover, respecting their space while sharing in their existence for a moment in time. That's when I felt it—the thread connecting all living things in these woods. I always knew this feeling, but never shared it until now.
Turning toward Claudia, I found her eyes reflecting a world anew—through an Amarok’s vision—and in that shared sight lay an unspoken understanding between us that transcended words or worlds.
The elk moved on, melting into the trees like ghosts of the forest. Claudia and I remained in the shelter of our hideout, watching until they were nothing but a memory etched into the white canvas around us.
“You’re an excellent teacher,” she said, turning her gaze toward me. Her plain words packed a punch, a recognition that touched me more deeply than I expected.
