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I need to build her a bigger house,I think to myself though I don’t say this out loud.
“And how do you propose we do that?” She turns to me with her hands on her hips.
Before I know it, I am just laughing and kissing away her defiant attitude. Even though, in the back of my mind, I still promise myself I will build her a bigger, safer house someday.
Soon, a week has passed since we returned from the hunting expedition.
And something isn’t right.
The days go by quickly, and they are filled with hard work in preparation for the winter, although it is never boring and always filled with laughter.
But at night, I have dreams that shake me to my core. Dreams that trap me in unconsciousness, so that no matter how I try to claw my way out of them, I cannot wake up until Amara shakes me awake.
She knows that something is wrong. But I never tell her about the contents of my dreams.
The dreams are bloody and nasty, and I don’t want them to ruin what we have in the present.
Today, we are collecting large rocks to place around the house. When I say ‘we,’ I really mean ‘me.’
Amara makes sandbags while I roll the rocks through the clearing, with Alfa barking excitedly at my side.
I cannot stop thinking about last night’s dream. It was especially violent.
And for the first time in weeks, I am frightened.
Maybe it is simply paranoia, or maybe it is instinct, but I cannot help feeling that something bad is about to happen to Amara and the pack.
And it will be all my fault.
It is not just me. The wolves seem to be on edge, too, although I do not know if Amara has noticed.
Maybe they’re just going a little crazy because winter is coming, but none of them are sleeping at night.
Instead, they remain awake and let out ear-splitting howls every so often.
And now, it is as if they’re patrolling the clearing. Even Fever and Tavor have joined the patrols.
If I stay, something is going to happen. Something bad.
“I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow,” I tell Alfa, who growls and bares her teeth. I’ve learned that that is her way of agreeing with me. “Let’s just enjoy tonight.”
Yesterday, Amara went out one last time to check all the traps and found a full-grown deer in one of the traps.
It was so large that she had to come back to get me to help her bring it back.
“We’re going to be eating well tonight,” I murmur, and Alfa jumps and barks in agreement.
Later that night, we are both in bed after the feast that Amara cooked for us.
I can tell that she is more relaxed since finding the deer. She got nearly fifty pounds of meat from the animal and several yards of skin.
“Well, I’m all set for the winter,” she tells me sleepily. Something in my chest cracks open.
Does she know, subconsciously, that I am going to leave?
“At least I won’t have to do much, I was dreading having to do an emergency hunt in the middle of a snowstorm.”
She is holding onto me tightly. I am tempted to tell her about the danger that I sense is coming.
