CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
The scent of pine and damp earth is a constant companion as I tread through the dense underbrush, my boots sinking into the loamy soil with each step. It's been weeks since I've left the Frostbite pack, weeks of forging my own path, learning to rely on instincts that race just beneath my skin like a river swollen with spring melt.
Navigating the forest has become second nature, the once foreign rustle of leaves now a familiar symphony. I hunt when hunger gnaws at my belly, the thrill of the chase sharpening my senses. I sleep nestled in the crook of ancient roots, the stars peeking through the canopy my only witnesses. By day, I am a shadow flitting between trees, careful to leave no trace.
But today is different. Today, curiosity tugs me toward the cliffs where the S
