Bria was quick to call out, “Wait?—”
The little thing darted several steps ahead before stopping to look back at them expectantly.
His floppy ears twitched, then he scampered farther ahead.
“I think he wants us to follow him,” she said, tilting her head slightly and the little fellow doing the same.
“Should we trust you, little guy?” Kaelan asked.
The creature gave another soft bark-like sound and bounded ahead again.
“What do you think?” Bria asked Kaelan.
The little creature barked again impatiently.
Kaelan held his hand out to her and she took it, and they followed the little creature deeper into Driochmor.
Chapter Nine
Tibby
On his Way Home
The little creature led them through the strange forest with ease, his eager pace keeping their steps quick.
At first Bria questioned whether the small fellow truly knew where he was going. He darted ahead only to disappear briefly into thick brush or leap atop fallen stones before pausing to make certain they followed. Yet as the hours passed, Kaelan never once attempted to switch direction.
That alone told her that Kaelan trusted the creature, or that he was familiar with the path he took.
By the time dusk settled fully across Driochmor, the forest had changed yet again around them. The towering silver-leafed trees had grown thicker together, their branches weaving high overhead while soft blue moss spread across the ground like woven velvet. Pale lights drifted now and then between the trunks in the distance, appearing briefly before vanishing again whenever Bria tried to follow them with her eyes.
The little creature suddenly stopped near a massive fallen tree whose roots twisted upward from the earth in great arching curves taller than a man. He circled twice beneath them before plopping down firmly upon the moss. Then he refused to move farther.
Bria smiled faintly despite her weariness. “I believe that means he is finished traveling for the night.”
Kaelan studied the surrounding forest carefully before finally nodding once. “He chose a good place to stop for the night.”
The small fellow gave a pleased little sound and curled instantly into a pale ball of fur.
Bria lowered herself carefully onto the moss near him, exhaustion settling more heavily into her limbs now that they had finally stopped moving. The forest had grown colder with nightfall, though not with the bitter chill of last night. Instead, the air carried a strange softness beneath the cold, scented faintly with earth and unfamiliar flowers.
Kaelan remained standing, alert, and his head tilted ever so slightly as if listening for sounds.
Bria watched him through the dimness. “Do you watch for the beast?”
He turned, his glance settling slowly on her and even in the fading light she sensed the warmth that softened his otherwise stern expression.
“I watch. That is what is important.”
More often than not, his answer was not direct. Habit, or was it on purpose?
“Here in Driochmor or everywhere?” she asked.
A faint breath of amusement escaped him before he finally crouched near her. “Awareness keeps one alive. And I intend to keep us alive”
The calm certainty in his voice and the determination in his eyes had her reaching out to rest her hand on his cheek. “I have no doubt you will.”
He turned his face slightly, his lips brushing the palm of her hand, and she gasped as a jolt of pleasure shivered through her.
