Page 61 of Enchanted Heir
“Have you been eating well, lately?” I asked him. “We’ve been trying to leave some more scraps now that we know there are more of you. So hopefully you are sharing.” I smiled at him, even though I knew he probably had no idea what in the world I was droning on about.
He was finally within arm’s distance. I wanted to reach out and touch his gray fur again. So many times, I had tried to remember what it felt like, how soft his nose had been. Often, I wondered if I had made it all up in my head or if it was truly real. But Owen and Krew had seen it the first time too. It had been real. I’d touched a wolf. This wolf.
Rafe sat down two feet from me still just looking at me, ears alert. His brown eyes seemed to see so much, and it made me love him even a little more.
“Do you know how to get this forest unstuck buddy?” I asked him softly. “You know it better than anybody. And I’m trying, but I don’t know if it’s my blood being immune to magic, or what?” I paused. “I think magic is at play here, Rafe, but I don’t know what I’m doing. Or how my blood could possibly be healing anything.”
He sniffed and put his head forward.
I flipped my hand out, palm up and let him sniff it.
“See? No magic here. Just a baker’s hand.”
He put his nose under my hand, so I moved to gently rub his nose with my pinky finger.
I was petting a wolf. Again. He was letting me touch him. “I wish you could just talk to me and tell me how to fix it,” I told him. “I want to see the forest alive. Lots of bugs and animals and the sound of birds.”
Rafe leaned into my touch the slightest.
“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? More birds to eat?” I laughed lightly.
A stick snapped off to the left, and Rafe moved his head in the direction of the other wolf, who had also moved in.
“Jorah,” Owen hissed from behind me.
I kept my hand on Rafe, but saw that behind this other wolf, were two little wolves. One white, one gray.
I gasped. I was trying to remain quiet, but I was struggling not to die on the spot.
“Don’t go near them,” Owen commanded.
“I won’t,” I said back as I kept petting Rafe. “Baby wolves, Rafe? I don’t know if they are yours or not, but good job taking care of them, buddy. They’re adorable.”
Another wolf appeared far off in the distance, and the little wolves ducked and ran, so she must have been their mother.
Rafe nudged my hand one last time and then moved two steps toward Owen, sniffing the air around him.
He only got two steps before thinking better of it and turned around and headed back into the trees with the others, giving me one last glance as he went.
The second wolf watched me while he retreated, watching his back. This wolf was black and had a scar along his face. He was still beautiful, just looked more rugged.
I sat still and watched him back, never moving a muscle. This wolf must have been Rafe’s second. Like Owen was to Krew.
“He took a step toward me,” Owen gasped as their tails disappeared into the trees.
I laughed. “I know.”
“Still a long way off from petting him, but I still can’t believe it.” I wasn’t sure if he was saying it more to himself or to me.
“Rafe sees everything in this forest. I bet he knows who warms his food,” I offered as I slowly stood and brushed off my butt.
Owen just sat there a second shaking his head. “What a morning.”
I flung my arms out and took another deep breath of fresh air. “What a morning.”
I had been in Krew’s Assemblage for almost four weeks. Not only did I have a purpose at the castle in trying to fix this forest, but there were so many things here that I cared about now.
“Let’s go get some bacon,” I said with a smile as I reached a hand down to Owen.
