“Did you at least get some clarity?”
I may be yawning and a little spaced out but when I stop to think about it, yes, I definitely have some clarity. In fact, I feel certain a demolition crew is on its way to break down the walls I’d built around my mind.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you, cuz.”
“What about you?” I ask. “You never told me what happened when you did the moonwalk. What clarity did you find?”
Omar scrunches up his mouth and shoos an invisible fly from in front of his face.
“I didn’t find much clarity,” he says, his tone darker than before.
We walk the rest of the way in silence.
The first thing I want to do when we get back sometime in the early afternoon is find Jasper. After everything I saw last night, every version of Jasper, and the distinct feeling like he was always just a hair’s breadth out of reach, I want to hug him and feel his solidity, to know that he’s real.
“Thank you,” I say to Yoki as we prepare to part ways. “For everything.”
Yoki doesn’t say anything. They smile wryly and bow a little before twirling and heading for their tent.
“I’m glad you found what you were looking for,” Omar says a little gruffly, trailing a circle in the dirt with the toe of his sneaker.
“Thanks, and—Omar?”
He looks up.
“Thank you too, for helping me and coming along with me and, you know, being there.”
“Anytime, cuz. I’ll catch you later. Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Oh.I hadn’t really thought about it, but I guess now that Yoki has done just about everything they can and I’m feeling good about my connection to my wolf self, Jasper and I should be getting back to the Elite Pack.
“Yeah, okay,” I mumble. Omar turns and something in me tells me to call out. “I’ll see you at dinner, right?”
His placid expression turns into a smile and he salutes with two fingers. “Be there or be, I dunno, human or something.”
Omar leaves and I wait until he’s out of sight. At least we’ll have tonight, I think, trying to ward off the encroaching sense that I still don’t quite want to leave this place. When he’s gone I make my way to the new school tent.
“Oh my moon gods.”
I stand at the edge of the lofty new school tent and can’t quite believe the sight I’m greeted with. Jasper is standing in front of a rapt audience of kids sitting cross-legged on a large carpet, a book in one hand, performing a lively interpretation of whatever adventure story they’re reading. He glances at the book, then hunches over, making his hands into witchy claws and giving the performance of his lifetime.
“I’ll get you, my wolfies,” he says in a creaky character voice. “You’ll never escape my labyrinth, not in a million—”
He stops short when he glances up and his eyes catch on mine. Instantly, his face is beet red.
“Why did you stop?” one particularly precocious kid calls out.
“Keep reading, Mr. Jasper!” another shouts.
I gesture for him to keep going, to which he purses his lips and huffs but then clears his throat and continues on.
“You’ll never escape my labyrinth, not in a million years, not until the moon can be seen in the daylight!”
I recognize the story suddenly. It’s calledThe Wayward Pup and the Pale Moon. It’s a children’s story, derived from ancient werewolf lore. A pup strays from his pack and as he tries to get home he makes friends with a bunch of other animals: a raccoon, a bear, a rattlesnake, and a hawk. But eventually they’re all captured by this evil witch—who I think is supposed to represent humanity—and in order to escape this giant maze they have to make the moon rise during the day. So the wayward pup recalls everything he learned about the moon gods from his parents and teaches the other animals and together they call on Selene and her family and she lets the moon stay in the sky even after the sun is up. It’s supposed to be an origin story of sorts, to explain why you can sometimes see the moon during the day, what we call a Pup’s Moon.
Jasper bursts into a maniacal evil laugh as the witch who’s trapped her prey in her maze, and the kids explode with screams and shrieks.
