Years passed in the valley like seasons turning—gentle, inevitable, beautiful.
Luna grew into a young woman with her father's blue eyes and her mother's healing touch. At sixteen, she was already skilled beyond her years, her gift flowing through her with a natural ease that amazed even Marta. She spent as much time at Shadowfang as in the valley, learning from the old healer, helping the wounded, becoming the healer the pack would one day need. Warriors spoke of her with awe—the girl who could mend bones with a touch, who could ease fever with a whisper.
Ayla followed a different path. She was a leader, organizing the valley children into games and projects, settling disputes with a wisdom beyond her years. At fourteen, she commanded respect from those twice her age. The younger ones fo
