Chapter 17

• The crisp pre-dawn air, usually a balm to Tallia’s senses, carried a discordant note today. It was a subtle shift, almost imperceptible to anyone but herself, a whisper of wrongness that prickled her skin and tightened the muscles in her jaw. She had ventured a little further than usual from the pack’s immediate protection, drawn by the promise of a rare bloom said to flourish only on the sun-dappled eastern slopes of the Whisperwind Hills, a place rumored to hold a peculiar, soothing energy. The encounter with the unsettling sigils etched into the ancient oaks of the Moonwood had left a residual unease within her, a gnawing feeling that the ancient forest was no longer as secure as it once was. Kael’s growing vigilance, the subtle tension in Lyra’s scouts, all pointed to an encroaching threat, a shadow stretching towards their sanctuary.
• She moved with a practiced grace, her senses attuned to the rustle of unseen creatures and the subtle shifts in the wind’s song. The scent of dew-kissed earth and pine needles filled her lungs, a familiar comfort that momentarily eased the nameless dread that had been her constant companion since the discovery. It was a foolish indulgence, she chided herself, to stray so far, especially with the palpable unease that had settled over the pack like a shroud. Kael had expressed his concerns, his voice laced with a grim determination to protect their home, and she, in turn, had promised to remain within the established patrols. Yet, the lure of the rare bloom, a symbol of resilient beauty in the face of growing darkness, had been too strong to resist. A small act of defiance, perhaps, a yearning for a moment of normalcy, a breath of untainted peace before the inevitable storm broke.
• The hills were alive with a soft, ethereal glow as the first rays of sunlight began to paint the eastern horizon, chasing away the lingering vestiges of night. Tallia paused, her gaze sweeping over the undulating landscape. The air here felt lighter, cleaner, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the clearing she and Kael had discovered yesterday. She focused on her breathing, willing her heart rate to slow, trying to quell the unease that still clung to her like morning mist. The bloom, if it existed, was said to be nestled within a small, secluded ravine, a place of quiet solitude.