Chapter 54

Winter gales sometimes leave the most bittersweet trails. I thought about this as my Pack stood there in a silent reverie, watching the cave that had been our home for many weeks now.

It was silly, I suppose, to hold such an attachment to a place that I knew deep down could never house us for long. The days we spent here paled in comparison to the place we all knew and loved; yet still, we had worked so very hard to turn it into a livable space within a very short amount of time. This cave had been our sanctuary, our retreat, when we felt we had nowhere else to go. I found it impossible not to feel a strong sense of gratitude -- an obligation to say what might be a final farewell.

I spared a moment to look around myself. On either side, my closest companions stood silently in watchful commiseration. Surry and Rufias wove their fingers together tightly on my lef