Greenland adapted to Ella's absence with the same precision it adapted to winter—efficient, practical, outwardly unshaken. But Gilbert was not the same.
He rode the borders in measured circuits, sometimes alone, sometimes with a single scout. In market squares, he asked quiet questions about a white wolf seen near creeks or birch stands. In boundary villages, he left bundles of food where rumor said she might pass.
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Rook noticed first. “You're not chasing," he said one evening as Gilbert checked the stable saddlebags.
“No."
“You're… showing up."
Gilbert cinched the strap without looking up. “If I chase, she runs. If I show up, she chooses."
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He changed council rules so information flowed outward instead of bottling at the top. Patrol reports were posted in the yard, supply le
