By The Light Of The Moon

Chapter 24

The sun was high in the sky by the time Shane stopped in a gap between two rocky ridges and looked back at me tiredly.

"Do you think this is safe enough?"

He shrugged, at least as much as his current form could.

"I assume this is where we can set up camp for a while?"

When he nodded, I got off Milly and tethered her to a scraggly tree, feeling the strain of another long night and day in my muscles. At first, Shane seemed to be at a loss without dexterous hands, but soon figured out how to dig a fire pit with his front paws.

As I unsaddled Milly, he dragged one branch over for firewood in his jaws, but when he dropped it, he spent quite a few seconds trying to spit out pieces of bark. I suspected gathering firewood was going to be delegated to me. Not that I minded.

"I'm not sure if you're willing to carry a pail for water, but if you want to guide me, I can do it."

After shaking his fur briskly, he came over and gently took the pail from my hands.

"Thanks."

With a quiet huff, he trotted away, his footsteps almost dragging in exhaustion. While he was gone, I built a small campfire and dumped some water from my water skin into the pot. I sifted through my trail bars for the ones with the most meat and dropped several in.

I picked up my bedroll and examined the narrow space we were in. Other than the tree Milly was tied to, there were only shrubs and grasses. She wouldn't have much to graze on, but I hoped it was hidden well enough to keep our pursuers from locating us.

The sky was clear of clouds, but I still wedged my bedroll under the partial protection of the rocky cliff. As I walked back, I saw a rabbit dart past Milly. The small trail was packed down and seemed well traveled, so I found some thin cord and set up several snares.

As I returned the extra cord to the saddlebags, the crunching of leaves had me looking over sharply, but it was only Shane returning with water. He put the pail by the fire, glanced at my bedroll, and raised an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged and said, "I've slept rough before, so I don't need a lean-to if that's what you're wondering. You can sleep on Milly's saddle pad if you want. It isn't much, but it'll keep you off the ground."

He gave the dappled grey material a long look before shrugging and sitting by the fire. As I added some of the new water to the pot, he kept scraping his paw across the dirt in front of him and lifting it up, inspecting it, before repeating the process. I watched tiredly, unsure what he was trying to do. With an irritated huff, he met my gaze and huffed again.

"Sorry, but I'm not sure what you're trying to say."

He lifted a forepaw and wiped it across his head. At my uncomprehending expression, he repeated the motion. Alas, I was no wiser than before. I'd never played charades with a wolf before.

Getting to his feet, he came over. I blinked and sat up straighter as he came within arm's reach. Locking eyes with me, he slowly raised a paw larger than my entire hand and put it against my chest, pushing the pendant into my skin.

I finally clued in. His paw swiping had been his attempt to make his necklace appear. Since he'd been unsuccessful, he was focusing on the one he'd given me.

He wiped his paw over his head, this time going from his nose over his ears.

"You want me to put this on you?"

He nodded.

I pulled the warm necklace off my neck and examined it. "I'm not sure this is big enough to reach around your neck."