The world felt quieter now.
Not safer. Not even close.
The creature was still out there, they both knew that. But after five nights without attack, after feeling the pulse beneath their skin grow stronger and more precise, Miles and Sarissa had begun to believe they could do more than just survive.
They could begin to move.
Miles rose with the light, stretching slowly beneath the tangled branches above. Dee chirped once, then leapt from his shoulder to perch on a nearby root, its tail flicking.
The little creature had grown noticeably in the past week, its scales darkening, its frame beginning to lengthen, to thicken. Its eyes, however, remained large, gleaming with attention and alert, watching everything.
Sarissa emerged from the lean-to a moment later, spear in hand. She winced slightly as she stepped onto her healing leg, but didn't complain.
"West?" She asked, simply.
