The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
The cursed wolf's smoky remains had scattered into the night, leaving only the stink of burned shadow in the clearing. The three of them stood in silence, chests rising and falling, each lost in their own thoughts.
Naomi finally broke it. "We need to move. Now."
Her voice was calm, but her shoulders were tense. She didn't like the silence either.
Shunya groaned, still sprawled in the dirt. "I would love to, but my body just resigned. It wrote a formal letter and everything."
"Get up." Naomi grabbed his collar and hauled him upright like a sack of laundry.
"Naomi, please, gentle— ow! At least give me a hero's carry! Do I not look tragic enough for that?"
"You look like a fool who almost got eaten," she replied flatly, though her lips twitched like she was holding back a smirk.
Vikoria stepped forward, placing a hand on Shunya's shoulder to steady him once Naomi let go. "Do not be too harsh on him. He helped in the end."
