The forest had never felt so heavy.

Dawn hovered just a few hours away. The moon still clung to the sky, pale and quiet as if reluctant to watch what would come.

My paws pressed hard into the damp earth, my white-black fur streaked with mud and dirt. My sides rose and fell with shallow, anxious breaths. The scent trail was now faint... It was now faded beneath layers of water, moss, and tension.

Kira...

I could still smell her. Chocolate vanilla and a bit of lavender. But now it was tainted... sharp with adrenaline, pain, and wolfsbane. Faint traces of blood left behind on snapped branches and rocks.

And...