Matthew Sharpclaw's Arc

Chapter 2 of 12

Matthew finished the last wrap and stepped back. Lyra was tying off her own practice loop when boots crunched the frost behind them. He turned, and his stomach dropped. His moms stood at the edge of the hospital grounds, both watching him, both watching the girl beside him. Rarespot's tail flicked once. Redtail's didn't move at all. They crossed the snow together, two sets of paw prints pressing clean lines toward him. Matthew's hand went to his satchel without thinking. Inside it sat the council ultimatum and a second letter sealed with blue wax, a crescent moon pressed into it — his careful draft of a reply, written and rewritten in private. He had wanted to handle all of this before they ever knew. "Matthew." Rarespot's voice was soft. Her eyes moved to Lyra, then back. "We found the notice. It came to the house." Redtail held up a folded paper he recognized. His own handwriting was on the back. He had left a copy at home by mistake. Matthew's throat closed. He looked at Lyra. She was still holding the bandage. She did not step away. "This is Lyra," Matthew said. His voice was steady, which surprised him. "I've been helping her. And I got an ultimatum from the council. I was going to fix it myself." Rarespot's ears tilted. She did not reach for him. She just nodded, slow, the way she had nodded at a B-grade project once. "Then we help you fix it," she said. Redtail's hand closed gently around the letter. The secret was over. Matthew felt the weight of it leave his satchel and settle, instead, across three pairs of shoulders.