Alpha Manuel POV
"Three hours. Fourteen minutes. Twenty-two seconds. Alpha Manuel."
I kept walking. Didn't respond.
"Twenty-three seconds. Twenty-four seconds. Twenty-five seconds. Alpha Manuel."
"I can count too, Mitch."
"Then why aren't you? Counting is important. Keeps track of time. Distance. Progress. Alpha Manuel."
Because I wasn't autistic like him. But I didn't say that. Mitch couldn't help it. His brain just worked different. Always had.
"How much further?" I asked instead.
"Two hundred twelve meters. Based on the map. The terrain has changed nineteen times. We've crossed five streams. Encountered eight different tree species. The dominant one is oak. Approximately sixty percent oak. Thirty percent pine. Ten percent birch. Alpha Manuel."
"Noted."
"You didn't ask about t
