Thorns & Wildflowers

ine drizzle, sticky and nee

ady, measured-squelch, squelch, squelch-as

railed clo

nce before she called o

ered n

further. "Hey, w

.Ah

is 'a

e sighed, her footsteps q

had asked the exact same q

d him quickened in tandem. He slowed

, something collided with his back. Her foreh

instantly flying to her face, cappi

back made

ckled down her chin. Her hoodie had

ch where you

ing. I'm wa

tch th

you th

round, his tail flicked once, scatter

ght jog to keep pace, her waterlogged

," she offered.

mained

d y

.Ca

n wh

oving her hands deep into her pocke

storm until the only sound left wa

localized heat began to writhe beneath his skin, mi

mething on

stride

at him, tilt

ur left shoulder all the way down to

his eyes unblinking despite t

e across her own chest to demonstrat

the superficial sting of a burn, but a deep, boring ache. It dug past h

bracing a hand against a nearby wall

ath gre

extended her hand but held it

you o

came-only a low, guttural growl that tore f

rkened, lengthening into sharp, lethal talons. His jaw

f gravity sh

ressing her thin palm flat against his c

e began

ed into one another, ancient and resonant. Each note

treated from the marrow, pulled back through the muscle to

retracted into normal fingernails; hi

ooke

as her lips continued to move. She seeme

ded, her eyes fluttered

just...

in slid from her matte

idn't

cheek. "It just happens somet

ightly. He leaned against the wall f

slapping the wet

nce I was a kid," she muttered. "She c

rief glance in his direction. "A

orehead. "Let's move. There's an abandone

nward, and

n the distance, a dark, blocky si

dry branch und

ust happened... do

siona

it h

way. They took a few mor

" he

ell s

d the aband

alf lay rotting on the ground, blanketed by a thick layer of moss. Several patches of the

g door open. The rusted

he room stood a stone statue. It rose just over a man's height, its surface heavily eroded by decades of damp

fore the effigy, tilting her

is

id

loor. Someone had been here before-dry a

ke..." Eve tilted her

perfectly adjacent to the statue, he

by time, its features erased.

ed her. He looked at the

he asked,

Noth

oesn't look

I'll take th

facing the dark expanse outside. As the rain thinned, the lights of Silve

emple, swept away a patch of d

ou going

N

staying

le

not t

ed the silence with

ried meat-hard, leathery, and frosted with a layer o

two. She popped one half into her mo

f ea

not h

ch growled

s already working on her piece,

it into his mouth. It was tough, requi

ching her legs out. She pulled her sleeves

r we had something good, she'd a

the jerky

continued, her voice dropping lower

he breach in the roof, watching the rain st

t you? You

.De

of

es

en them. There was only the

ai

ea

pening to you earlier...

t the dim light of the room-pale gre

n't af

nds were

mbling-a slight, persistent vibration he couldn

of hurting y

steady himself

se. His tail lay flat

the distance. Eve closed her eyes, her breathing

nd walked back

tang of wet earth mingled with the

er head lolling to one side, her lips slightly parted. The stone stat

back to fa

bead at a time, striking the ear

wers held fast in the statue's grip, a single p

n't ra