Crouched within dense thicket, I track the resonant howl of a wolf—blood answering blood's ancient call. Impossible. Minutes have passed since I sought refuge in this shadowed hollow, yet he already hunts me. Perhaps merely a farm dog's distant cry carries on the wind. I push through the tangled brush to observe. Moonlight breaks the clouds momentarily, revealing nothing but endless forest stretching into shadow. The spring air carries the sharp scent of damp earth. A muffled thump makes me go rigid, every sense heightened. Undergrowth erupts as a rabbit bolts for safety, then stillness reclaims the woods. Just a neighbor's hound. It has to be. Then another howl tears through the silence, visceral and unmistakable. The sound vibrates through my very bones. Unmistakably wolf. Unmistakably *him*. Stop listening. Act. My throat tightens as I grip the cold earth between my fingers. Too late now. He'll arrive within moments and I— *Focus. Breathe.* I compress myself deeper into shadow, controlling each breath. Perhaps time remains. I was careful, so careful.