Chapter 12: Who Howled

Thad woke in the small hours with a warm weight on his chest and a feeling that something was wrong.

The warm weight was Wystan's arm.

He eased out from under the arm without waking its owner.

He went to the nest of blankets in the back chamber, where two cubs should have been sleeping.

Dock lay curled in the blankets alone, thumb in his mouth, and Tuck's place beside him was empty.

The pebble on Thad's pillow was still there.

Nothing else was.

"Tuck?" he whispered.

There was a tiny sound from the far end of the chamber, where the steam from the spring rose through a crack in the roof.

Thad pulled on his tunic and followed it.

The crack widened into a narrow chimney.

The chimney opened onto a ledge of wet black rock and a sky full of stars.

The blizzard had blown itself out.

Everything outside was white and silent, and the moon hung huge over the pines.

Tuck sat at the very edge with his back to the cave, a small black shape against all that snow.

"Hey," Thad said softly. "You'll freeze."

"I'm warm. It's the steam."

"May I sit?"

Tuck considered.

"Yes."

Thad lowered himself onto the rock beside him, and for a while neither of them said anything.

The moon was so bright he could see every needle on the nearest pine.

"I have to tell you something," Tuck said.

"Okay."

"You're going to be angry."

Thad leaned his shoulder against the cold rock.

"I won't be."

"You might."

Thad smiled.

"I really won't. Try me."

Keep reading free with an account. Start Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.