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Mama was still talking to Jason, and with her arms crossed over her chest, I knew she was worried again.

I sighed, hoping she would soon get over it and accept the fact that I was now old enough to go live with Papa.

Sitka whined next to me, staring at her owner longingly and waiting for him to come back.

But as soon as Jason turned around to walk to the car, Sitka got on all four paws and wagged her tail excitedly.

I looked at Mama who was waving at me, and I smiled, waving back and giving her a promising look that everything was going to be okay.

After Jason put the bag in the back, he got in the car and pushed Sitka back so he had enough space on his driver’s seat.

“Your Mama’s not very happy about you leaving, huh?”

I frowned. “She’s concerned that I won’t survive. It’s not about me leaving.”

Jason chuckled and turned on the engine, letting it roar before stepping on the gas.

With one last wave at Mama, I turned to look straight ahead with my arm around Sitka who was now comfortably laying across my lap.

“Why don’t you wanna leave for college like most kids do after high school? I went to college, and I still live in the middle of nowhere, doing my own thing.”

“Why did you attend college in the first place if you chose not to use the things you’ve learned?” I asked, thinking it was slightly unnecessary.

He narrowed his brows and shrugged. “The way you put it, it does seem as if I spent four years of my life learning things I never used again. Guess you’re right.”

“See? And I don’t even know what I would want to study in college. I’m not a good student anyway. With Papa is where I want to be.”

But he wasn’t the real reason why I wanted to go live in the wild.

It was Fennec.

I missed him, and finally being close to him again made my heartbeat pick up speed and pound loudly in my chest.

“Well, whenever you need something, you know where to find me.”

His cabin was a few miles away from Papa’s camp, near the big river, and I knew the path to Jason’s blindly, even if it took us through the thickest part of the forest.

*

Six and a half hours later, we finally arrived in Wiseman.

As tired as I was from the sleepless nights leading up to today, I couldn’t close my eyes.

Sitka could, and while she slept with his head on my lap, she drooled all over my pants.

It didn’t bother me much, and the wet stain would soon dry.

“Is Papa or Fennec coming to pick you up?” Jason asked as he parked his car next to his home.

Wiseman was a nice little place with only a few cabins, surrounded by trees and with a big mountain behind it.

“Uh, I think Papa. I texted them about coming today, and they read it but didn’t respond. I can go up there on my own though,” I told him.

“No way. You’re staying here until one of them comes to pick you up. Not gonna risk you getting lost.”

I frowned.

I wouldn’t get lost.

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