I fell asleep hidden by the pines of the forest. I woke as the sun was starting to rise in the distance. I sniffled slightly and rubbed my eyes then gasped when I saw someone in front of me. I scrambled to sit up and press my back to the tree I’d slumped under.
My eyes took a second to adjust then my heart slowed down considerably. Maximus was sitting on the floor with me, staring at me.
“I wonder if you’re from one of the packs in Western North America,” he said as he picked at some stray leaves. He crumbled the dried ones in his hands. “You seem to like being in the forest an awful lot.”
“I grew up in Pennsylvania,” my voice was gravely and raw with sleep. I cleared my throat. “There’s a fair amount of woods in the Adirondak mountains. Do you know where that is?”
Maximus blinked at m
