Fauna:

"What do you think? Do you think they buried the stone?" I asked Mariana as I walked behind her.

After finding the others left, our group began heading toward the other tower.

It was some distance away, but definitely not five hours.

We were not rushing. We knew we had time.

Five hours in the dark north, I had heard, was not much time because some monsters could take hours to fight.

On our side, in the normal north, the monsters were more controllable. They would just leave.

"It has only been half an hour," Mariana said, patting my back.

"Well, at least I have you here," I said, nudging her with my elbow.

She giggled and nodded.

Walking beside my sister, I felt fulfilled.

Ahead of us, Haiden and Yorick walked together, talking about different things, mostly about what was going on in our lives.

"Yeah, you are right," I commented.

"You know, earlier I heard Yorick and Haiden reminiscing about the time when there was a monster called Wendigo, the deadliest one, and it had slipped through the passage from the dark side," I added, gently rubbing my arms to hide the goosebumps that rose every time I thought about another creature like that coming through.

"Yeah, but someone must have opened the door back then," Mariana commented.

"Now Clementine and the others are there, and I am sure they will make sure no such monster passes through."

Mariana was so composed.

I used to think we were forced to be this way by our parents, but I guess it has become a part of who we are.

"And by the way, you are not as weak as you think you are, so stop feeling bad for yourself. You are just scared because our parents instilled that fear in us. So cheer up. Look how life has changed," Mariana uttered as she wrapped her arm around me, pulling me into a side hug and giving me a gentle squeeze.

"Look, we have made it, and they love us. Who would have thought our lives would turn around so well?" she added.

I nodded along with her. As soon as we saw the tower in front of us, we all paused.

"Okay, so here is what we will do. I will go up, untangle the stone, and come down. Then we will run toward the woods as fast as we can. Got it?" Yorick suggested, pointing at everyone.

"No, I will climb with you." Haiden spoke firmly.

I knew Haiden would refuse.

He did not like that Yorick was treating this like a redemption arc and taking everything on himself.

I knew Haiden. I had known him since childhood. I knew what he was thinking and how he felt.

"Come on, Haiden, you do not have to stick with me like I am your mate that you need to take care of," Yorick teased, referring to something they had been discussing earlier.

I remembered Yorick teasing him before, saying that Haiden looked at me far too many times in a single minute.

"Yeah, well, then we do not need to rush back to the woods. Remember, we are not supposed to bury the stone until five hours have passed, so we have time. Let’s go up there, do this properly, and remember, we have to break it. We have to break the heart of the tower," Haiden reminded him.

It would not be easy. Ian and Clementine had done it, but their wolves were different. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Even though Yorick and Haiden were powerful, they still needed both their strengths to do it.

So it was decided that the two of them would go up.

I was still scared, though not of the monsters anymore.

As the two started climbing up, we could hear them talking.

It was almost funny because we had all been talking nonstop, Mariana and I, and Yorick with Haiden.

"Fauna, I do not want to force you, but can you somehow convince Haiden to take you back to the mainland?" my sister asked once they were out of earshot.

"Why? You do not want us to stay here?" I asked, pouting at her.

"No, do not get emotional. It is not that. I just think it would be better if one of us is out there. Mother will be very lonely."

As she spoke, I realized she was not wrong.

"When a toxic person and an abuser are removed from a victim, the victim often falls apart for a while because that is all they have known. Suddenly, they feel alone. She will need you by her side." my sister continued.

"Besides, I do not want to sound harsh, but you are too gentle for this side."

None of her words offended me. I knew my sister, and I knew she was speaking with full consideration.

And honestly, none of what she said was a lie.

"I will try, but I am not sure he will listen," I said, sighing.

"Look, there is a mart there," I added, pointing toward the mall.

Mariana glanced away from the tower, looked toward the mall, and smiled.

"Yeah, we have seen so many so far. I think we will be fine. Besides, he came here with a full plan," she said, pointing upward, referring to Yorick.

"We will start gardening and do whatever we can. I am sure there are survivors out here. We will find them and see what we can do," she added.

This was the kind of life my sister had always wanted.

I had always wanted to marry and settle down, while she had always craved adventure.

Being here with her mate felt like the perfect life for her.

"If you wait here, I will quickly go inside and see what is going on, okay?" I said to Mariana, stepping across the road.

"Fauna, what are you doing? You are not supposed to wander off," she called after me.

But I needed a moment alone.

I wanted to know if I was ready for this life, to stay here in this place.

I did not want to become a burden on any of them.

So far, I have not even spent an hour alone here. So I stepped away.

The moment I reached the mall, I realized it was a mistake.

A hand suddenly grabbed my neck and pulled me through the door.

Mariana’s voice faded behind me as she screamed.