Through Thorns And Shadows

She was here.

I kneel near the treeline, where the grass is flattened just enough to catch my attention. It's not a trail anyone else would see. But I see it. More than that — I feel it. Like something beneath my skin shifts ever so slightly, alerting me to her presence. Or at least, the echo of it.

I close my eyes and breathe in. Damp earth. Tree bark. Dead leaves. And beneath it all — the faintest hint of lavender and rain. Evelyn's scent, clinging to the breeze like a memory that refuses to let go.

I exhale slowly. It's fading. Too quickly.

The moon isn't full yet, but it's getting close. I can feel its pull on the edges of myself — in the tightness of my muscles, in the way every sound comes sharper, every heartbeat louder. The closer it gets, the harder it is to stay... still. Human.

I need to find her before then.

I stand and scan the trees, my eyes adjusting to the dark faster than they should. I know I shouldn't be out here. Not like this. Not when the shift is so close. But I can't stay away. Not when she's out there. Not when every part of me is screaming that something is wrong.

They found her watch this morning. Near the forest, tossed carelessly beneath some underbrush like it meant nothing. But I know Evelyn. She never takes it off. Not unless she's scared. Not unless someone made her.

Clara.

I clench my jaw. I'd tried to believe the best about her, for Evelyn's sake. Played the part. Smiled, acted respectful, even let Clara believe she had control over how close I could get.

But I saw her for what she was. Her posture too perfect. Her eyes too sharp. Like she was always waiting for something to go wrong. Or like she knew it already had.

I don't know how she did it, but I know she's the one who took Evelyn.

And I know why.

She thinks she's protecting her.

From me.

I move deeper into the woods, the air growing colder as I pass beneath the thicker canopy. Every step I take, I fight the urge to break into a run. But I can't lose the trail. It's thin, already dissolving under time and weather and deliberate effort. Clara knows how to hide. She's one of us — even if she doesn't want to be anymore.

But she's not stronger than me.

She never was.

I stop beside a fallen log and lower myself to the ground again. My fingers brush a faint indentation in the mud — not a full footprint, but something like one. Light. Too light for an adult. The shape of someone who walks with hesitation. Someone who might've been looking over her shoulder.

My chest tightens.

Was she scared?

Did she call for me?

I wouldn't have heard. I was too far away. Pretending to be normal. Pretending this life we were building was real and safe and simple. When I should've been watching more closely. Protecting her.

She thinks I would never let anything happen to her. That I would come if she ever needed me. I made her believe that. And now…

Now she's gone.

I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out the leather bracelet she gave me. It's worn now, the threads fraying at the edges. She tied it around my wrist after a school fair, saying it was "for balance." She smiled when she said it, like it was a joke. But I never took it off.

Until now.

Because I need more than balance. I need her.

Before the full moon.

Because once the moon rises, everything changes. My control fractures. My thoughts get louder — darker. I won't be able to fight it off much longer. Not without her near. Not with her scent fading and the bond fraying.

And if I shift without her…

No. I won't let that happen.

I curl the bracelet into my fist, squeezing it tight until the corners bite into my palm. My skin burns with heat just under the surface. My breath fogs in the air even though it's not that cold. Something stirs beneath my ribs — wild and ancient and impatient.

She grounds me.

That's what Clara doesn't understand. Or maybe that's what she fears.

Maybe she saw it in the way Evelyn looked at me — like I was something worth trusting. Something safe. Maybe that's why she ran.

But she'll see. I'll bring Evelyn back, and I'll prove her wrong.

A twig snaps nearby.

I freeze.

My head tilts before I even think to move, and my hearing sharpens — heartbeats, wind, the flutter of wings overhead. But one sound doesn't belong. Two feet. Slow. Careful. Human. Or close enough.

Not Evelyn.

I stand, letting the shadows fold around me. Whoever it is, they're walking a path I just crossed. Close, but not close enough to be a threat. Not yet.

I don't care who they are. Unless they know where she is, they're wasting my time.

I turn back toward the direction the scent trail was pulling me, moving faster now. The moon is beginning to rise behind the clouds. I can feel it in my bones — stretching me, warning me.

Time is running out.

I need Evelyn back before that light hits me full.

Because if I wait too long, I won't be the same when I see her again.

And I don't want her to see that side of me. Not yet.

Not ever, if I can help it.

But if she's still gone by then…

I don't know what I'll become.

I push past a cluster of trees, heart pounding, feet moving without thought. My blood thrums with urgency, with instinct, with something deeper than reason. She's out there. She's waiting. She has to be.

And I'm going to find her.

I don't care how far she's been taken.

I don't care who tries to stop me.

Clara, the others — none of them matter.

Only her.

"Evelyn," I whisper to the wind, voice low, steady, and full of something ancient and relentless.

"I'm coming for you!"