Within you I found home

sixteen

        MITHUN PACES AT THE BACK OF THE CAVE, in wolf form.

        You rest on the floor by the fire, poking it with a stick before adding two logs in an attempt to fight the unnatural chill in the air.

        Luckily, the smoke helped mask the smell of decay, but your stomach still churns with it.

        The silence was deafening. Anxiety gnaws at your insides.

        "You wanna talk about what happened back at the village?" you ask suddenly.

        You could do with the distraction. Plus, it was something you had yet to talk to him about.

        Of course, Nico had offered to have this discussion for you. But you didn't want Mith to think he couldn't approach you with it.

        Mith stays silent. Continues to pace.

        You watch as his shoulders and hips shift with the movement.

        "Mith." You roll your eyes with a frustrated sigh. "I know you're upset you didn't get to help but please stop ignoring me."

        In the blink of an eye, Mithun changes form. He grabs a pair of linen trousers folded on top of the wooden trunk and pulls them on before turning to you.

        "He was uneasy, Mom," Mith breathes. "I can help. He said it himself. I'm strong and skilled and-"

        "-And he'd be too worried about you to concentrate on killing that thing," you remind him gently. "You have to trust him, Mith. He's much older than the both of us. He knows what he's doing."

        Mithun crosses his arms over his chest in reply, his eyes on the floor.

        The fire crackles at the same time a new layer of cold settles over you. Like a blanket dipped in ice water.

        You shiver and reach for the sheepskin behind you before scooting closer to the fire.

        "It must be near." You wrap the blanket round you before gesturing to your pup. "I know you don't feel the cold like I do, but humour me."

        Mith shakes his head, his face twisted with disgust. "I don't want to move closer to that stench. It's getting worse."

        You can still smell it, but the scent was filtered thanks to the burning wood. "Guess having your heightened senses isn't always a good thing."

        "No," he agrees with a grimace.

        "Can. . .can you hear anything?" you're almost too scared to ask.

        "Dad's heart," he answers, features twisted in concentration. "He's calm. I think I can hear that. . .thing. Its heart is beating really fast. Too fast. It's weird. It goes loud and then quiet." He straightens suddenly, on alert. "I think he's found it. They're fighting."

        Fear and worry twists his handsome face.

        You feel useless down on the floor, so you carefully bring yourself to a stand, holding the blanket secure on your shoulders. Your leg protests slightly, but you're relieved to find it doesn't extend beyond a barely-there ache.

        Despite doing it slowly, your head spins as if you'd stood up too fast. You couldn't deny you were still feeling rough, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

       "Mom?" Mithun questions worriedly.

        You shake your head and blink, waiting for it to fade. When it does, with your back to the entrance, you take a step towards Mith.