Canberra's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Canberra pushed through the brambles at the forest's edge, looking for something everyone else had given up on. The old structure stood half-collapsed in the shadows, boards rotting and vines thick as her wrist climbing the walls. Perfect. No one would bother her here. She circled the watchtower twice, testing floorboards with her boot heel. The foundation held firm. The walls just needed clearing and patching. From the upper windows, she'd see anyone approaching from miles out. Her old mentor had always said she needed others to survive, that going it alone would break her. She yanked a fistful of vines free and tossed them aside. Let him think what he wanted. This tower would prove she could protect an entire settlement by herself, and she wouldn't need his approval to do it.