The dawn came slowly and hesitantly like it wasn't sure it was welcome here. Light slipped through the torn trees, thin and pale, touching the smoke that still clung to the air. It felt strange to see color again. It was stranger to know was still standing to see it.
On the way back, Mira and I didn't speak much. The silence simply carried too much; it wasn't cold. The silence that comes from both hearts still learning how to beat.
Now the forest had a new look. Not a wolf. No cradle. Just the bones of what used to be. Yet every so often, like echoes trapped in the earth's ribs, the wind carried faint howls that were stretched thin and far.
I stopped at the edge of the clearing. The stones were cracked and half-buried, and the ashes of the old circle remained. I traced one with my thumb
