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The exmoor had taken to Tiana, leaving her presents outside of the lodge. Dead rabbits and partially-skinned deer. Tiana was delighted and ate everything he brought. After cooking it, of course.
Now, under the cover of the moonlit night, I wove my fingers gently through Nightclaw's golden fur as we galloped through an endless field of wheat and barley. The saddle had become a part of me. My legs wrapped securely around the exmoor's muscular form, feeling his latent strength pulsating beneath me.
With each stride Nightclaw took, the ground quivered beneath us. His large, padded paws propelled us forward, leaving deep imprints in the earth as we streaked through the open field.
The wind rushed past, tangling my hair and rustling Nightclaw's fur as his swift movements sliced through the cool night air.
I leaned forward, running my hands over the battlecat’s coat. He was so vital. So alive. I thought of Draven, lying prone in the bed. It was unnatural to see him like that. Every fiber of my being screamed out the wrongness of it.
But here, above ground, running over the surface of Aercanum on Nightclaw’s back, I could forget for a few moments. Or, if not forget, try to remind myself of the most precious parts of the life I wanted Draven to return to so badly.
On Nightclaw's back, my heart was more at ease than it had been in days. Filled with the exmoor's own excitement and exhilaration... and beneath it all a quiet satisfaction. Nightclaw had yearned for this freedom, I suddenly understood. He had chafed at the confines of his cage, yes, but more than that he had hated being below ground. To an exmoor, it was as unnatural as being fed one's food rather than hunting for it.
Now Nightclaw's true instincts were being honed once more. He was learning how to hunt for himself again. Remembering how to be free again.
I felt this on some visceral level, as I touched my hand to his body. Together we were becoming a single force, melded into one.
A sense of peaceful understanding was passing between us. As if Nightclaw's emotions, untethered by words, were finding a conduit in my very soul.
I could sense his unwavering loyalty to me, his fierce protectiveness. Hislove. The feelings were deep and intense and they moved me. I felt undeserving of such devotion and allegiance. But as quickly as the thought passed through me, it was followed by Nightclaw's swift rebuttal.
I was more than worthy, the exmoor said. I was his warrior. His rider.
I kept my emotions in check, my heart pounding. How was this possible? Was my imagination running wild or was I truly sensing the battlecat's feelings?
Perhaps it was wishful thinking, I told myself, only to receive a quick tap on the back of my shoulder from Nightclaw's tufted tail as a rebuke.
I laughed aloud as a sense of awe washed over me. There was a hidden reservoir of potential here, waiting to be unleashed.
And yet I couldn’t focus on it fully. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Draven. Nightclaw's happiness warmed my heart and yet also only smoothed the surface of my grief for a little while.
It was all right, Nightclaw said through our bond.
A companion shares the path, no matter where it leads and no matter how painful.
I gasped aloud with shock. The words had rung so clearly in my ears, as if they had been spoken by someone beside me.
A moment later, Nightclaw turned back to the hunting lodge. Someone was there, I understood. Waiting to speak with me.
I saw Rychel huddled in the dark on a bench outside the lodge as we approached.
She raised her head as Nightclaw came to a skidding halt and smiled slightly. “Playful beast.”
“He does love to show off,” I admitted, sliding off and giving Nightclaw one last pat along his sleek side.
“I hear he’s making good use of my father’s hunting grounds,” Rychel remarked, standing up. “All of those poor rabbits.”
Nightclaw let out a little snarling growl as if to say, “I was hungry. What would you have had me do?”
“Tiana says the rabbits were out of control. Basically a pest,” I said primly. “Nightclaw did her a favor. Besides, he says he was hungry.”
“Ha,” Rychel said. “He said that, did he? I’m sure he did.”
I colored. “You’re far from home.”
Rychel stared up at the moon. “I found out how Avriel knew to use bloodwraith.”
I raised my eyebrows. “That’s what you’ve been doing? Tracking down leads?”
