Miri Greymantle's Arc

Chapter 4 of 8

Miri stood at the mouth of the den. The boot prints circled back into the forest, but inside the hollow something moved. She stepped past the entrance and waited for her eyes to adjust. The darkness resolved into shapes. Matted fur. A small form curled against the back wall. A cub. Young enough that its eyes barely opened when she knelt beside it. The mother spirit had been guarding this den, holding the dog captive to keep hunters away from what she'd left behind. Miri reached out slowly. The cub made a soft sound and pressed against her palm. Warm. Alive. Alone now that the spirit had faded. She lifted the cub into her arms and stood. It was heavier than she expected, solid and real in a way spirits never were. Rothe waited outside the den, his blue glow steady. "Your father will ask questions," he said. Miri adjusted her grip on the cub. "Let him ask. I freed two spirits today. He'll see what I can do when I show him what I'm keeping." She carried the cub through the forest until she found the old stone monument half-buried in moss. Three carved bears sat weathered and quiet at its base. This would be her camp tonight. The spirit dog circled the clearing once, its shimmer bright against the trees, then settled near the monument as if claiming the space with her. Miri sat on the platform deck she'd built from fallen timber and fed the cub strips of dried meat from her pack. It ate and curled against her chest. She looked down at the small creature and felt the weight of what she'd chosen. Not just to help a spirit pass. To raise what remained.