I'm shaking my head in disbelief as I clamber back up onto him, careful to avoid open wounds. Then we creep through the night. The terrain gets increasingly rocky as we go.
Thivoll pauses after a while, his fur standing on end. Not long after I hear a hissing language.
"Moon woman is mine."
My hands tighten in Thivoll's fur. "He's talking to us. He says she's his."
"I can smell her chamber, but not her. She must still be in it. There's no way for me to get her without killing the male."
I resist the urge to use my new super nose . . . mouth. Whatever.
Now is not the time for puking.
I grunt, then switch to the lisping language. "She is not mine. She is not yours. She owns herself."
"She will decide," he responds.
"Will you let me see her? She's hurt."
"No. I will care for her."
"Please. I am responsible for her."
"No."
I let out a sigh. There's nothing to be done.
My chest tightens painfully at the thought of simply walking away. Except how much of this is for Silver and how much of it is for me?
She has a protector.
That's my primary goal. Isn't it?
"Will you keep her safe?" I ask the mysterious male. "It would be better if we were all in the same place."
"She is mine."
I open my mouth to keep pushing but realize it's futile. If we can't easily get to her, at least she has a guard.
I switch to Thivoll's language. "Let's go home. He won't give her up."
"We can check on her again."
I know he's right, but the tears spring to my eyes, anyway.
I sniff, but don't respond.
He turns around to go the way we came, stopping again at the stream for a drink and a snack. After that he steadily picks up speed until we are streaking through the forest at our usual pace.
The whole time we run I work through my grief.
My mind goes in circles wondering what I'll do now. I mean, she's safe, I suppose. But not where I can see her.
I just have to keep telling myself she's safe, but the tears still come.
We've left the mountain far behind us when he abruptly stops, tips me off of him into some moss, grabs me, and then scrambles up a tree.
I rub my wet face against his fur to clear my vision.
