**Kael's Point of View
The world had a heartbeat that matched mine. In the days that followed the unification, this was the constant, overwhelming reality of my life. Now, the bright map of the area was always on top of my normal vision. I didn't just see a tree. I saw its life force slowly and patiently pulsing, its roots drinking from the soil in a complicated network, and the tiny, buzzing bugs that lived in its bark. I didn't just hear my pack howling; I could feel how they were all feeling—an increasing sense of joy, strength, and a new, almost primal connection to the land they had always called home, but were only now really *feeling* for the first time.
It was a power that made you feel small and high at the same time. I always wanted to stand on the highest peak and *feel* every
