After following the path as far as it would take him, he pulled to a stop and shut off the engine, letting the natural silence settle over them, like a blanket. Here there was no sound of traffic, no distant din of voices, no reminders of civilization at all.
It had a profoundly calming effect, all that evergreen, all those stars, all that quiet. Henry rolled down the window and deeply inhaled the cool air. The sun was long gone, the moon climbing high over the horizon, and this deep in the forest, barely any light penetrated the canopy, leaving long shadows to creep down the trees and across the needle-covered ground. Henry didn’t even notice that Gere had moved while he peered out the open window, not until he made a soft, inquisitive chattering sound right behind Henry’s ear.
“Yeah, s
