❊ Thyme

"No! Don't go!"

Thyme awoke with a start, her fur standing on end. It was that same dream, the one that kept appearing to her again and again ever since her father left the pack.

The indifferent gaze in his formerly warm, amber eyes, the horrible secrets he spilled to her that night... it all haunted her. All this time, Thyme had viewed her mother as some sort of unbeatable force of nature, some ruthless warrior who could do anything. But it turned out she was only some overgrown pup afraid of both star and shadow. Just the knowledge of that frightened Thyme deeply.

"This is ridiculous!" she seethed quietly, glaring at nothing in particular. She was just as much an overgrown pup as her mother.

"I know," said a quiet voice from beside her. Thyme glanced over at Tace, the deceased daughter of her friend Narcissa. Thyme's pelt flattened a little. She didn't find this appearance strange at all. In fact, it was quite normal for her. She'd been seeing ghosts and spirits since she was birthed.

And not just the ghosts of wolves. Every animal she killed had a spirit. This made hunting especially agonizing, watching the sad, nettled creatures' spirits separate from their bodies. But she would never let anyone know that. She never wanted to burden her pack with the weight of her secret.

Not even Narcissa, who was Thyme's closest friend, knew this secret. Thyme longed to tell her that her daughter's spirit lingered, but Narcissa would never believe her. She was hot-tempered, very skeptical, and quick to doubt.

It was partly Thyme's fault for that. As an adolescent, she'd been an extremely bad influence. She'd been a corrupt leader, and Narcissa had been her devout follower.

Besides, Thyme mused, I've missed my chance to tell Narcissa anyway. If I told her now, after Ticco and Topher have left, she'd think I'm pitying her. And there isn't anything she hates more than that."