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Svajonė knew something was wrong the moment she woke. The night before had been bitter cold, the kind that settled into your bones and made the dark feel endless. She had gone to sleep with Reid tucked close to her belly and Vidarr at her back, trusting in the simple comfort of having them both there. But morning came soft and bright, and the world outside had turned to spring. The snow was gone. The air was warmer. Birds sang where there previously had been silence. It made no logical sense to her, and neither did Vidarr’s absence.

Normally she would have told herself he had gone to hunt, that he would return soon enough, but as more time passed and the strange dreams from the night before lingered in the back of her mind, that comfort began to slip. Something had happened. She could feel it.

She tried not to let Reid see how badly it unsettled her. Instead, she focused on what she could do. She made sure he had something in his belly, fussed over him a little more than usual, and checked him over with the nervous care of a mother trying to keep herself together for the sake of her child. Then she lifted her head, nostrils flaring as she tested the air for any sign of Vidarr beneath the scent of damp earth and new growth. Everything smelled wrong now, too alive, too changed. You stay close to me, da? she said softly, brushing her muzzle over Reid’s head before stepping forward. We’ll go look for your tata together. And with that, Svajonė started on, her worry tucked tight behind her ribs as she began searching for the man who should have been home by now.

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