D’Angelo’s legs wobbled beneath him now that the immediate danger had passed, the pain from his cuts and bruises began to settle in. His arms and legs were scraped raw from his tumble through the rapids, and a deep sting pulsed from his knee where he had hit a rock.

  Jeremiah knelt beside him, pulling a small pouch from his belt. “Let’s take care of those wounds before we do anything else,” he said. His hands moved with practiced ease as he wrapped D’Angelo’s worst scrapes in clean bandages. The cool touch of the ointment soothed the pain, and for the first time since the attack, D’Angelo felt like he could breathe again.

  “There,” Jeremiah said, tying off the last bandage. “Not perfect, but it’ll do until we get you somewhere safe.” He gave D’Angelo a reassuring nod before standing up. Then, without warning, he placed two fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp, piercing whistle that echoed through the forest.

  D’Angelo flinched at the sudden sound, but before he could ask what that was for, the bushes nearby rustled. A moment later, a black-and-white blur burst through the underbrush, sprinting toward them with incredible speed. It was a dog—no, a puppy. D’Angelo had never seen a puppy before. It was MajesticIt had thick, fluffy fur like a husky, and piercing blue eyes that gleamed with excitement. But much bigger than any puppy D’Angelo had ever seen in a kids book.

  “Shadow!” Jeremiah grinned, dropping to one knee just as the pup leaped into his arms. The two embraced in a mess of licks, scratches, and tail wags, Jeremiah laughing as Shadow whined and barked in pure excitement. D’Angelo watched, wide-eyed, as the dog practically climbed all over Jeremiah, its tail wagging so fast it was a blur.

  “You missed me, huh?” Jeremiah chuckled, ruffling the fur on Shadow’s head. “Yeah, I missed you too, buddy.”

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  D’Angelo couldn’t help but smile. After everything that had just happened, seeing something so normal—so happy—felt like a small light in the middle of all the darkness. But then, to his shock, Shadow suddenly turned his bright blue eyes toward him and spoke.

  “You’re all beat up! You ran into a big monster, didn’t you? I smelled something nasty in the air! Where is it? Huh? Huh?”

  D’Angelo’s mouth dropped open. “Y-You can talk?”

  Jeremiah smirked. “Oh yeah. You’re gonna want to get used to that.” He gave Shadow a firm pat on the head before straightening up. “Alright, buddy, give me a status report. What’s the area looking like? And where’ve you been these past few days?”

  Shadow sat up straight, his tail wagging slightly as he began rattling off his report. “The forest has been quiet—well, as quiet as it can be with all the usual monsters lurking. No major rift activity in the last couple of days, but I did smell something weird near the old gas station ruins. Could be a new nest of something. Oh! And I chased a big, mean raccoon away from our old camp! He thought he could steal my food, but I showed him!”

  As Shadow continued listing off his activities, D’Angelo found himself slipping into a strange train of thought. A talking dog. It still didn’t seem real. If Shadow could talk, could all animals? He thought about the deer he had seen by the river, the birds flying overhead—were they having conversations he just couldn’t hear? Did fish talk to each other underwater? The thought made his stomach twist a little. What if all the animals he had ever eaten could talk too? What if they had families? Friends? Was eating them… wrong?

  His mind spun with questions, and he was so lost in thought that he barely noticed when Shadow stopped talking.

  “D’Angelo,” Jeremiah’s voice cut through his wandering thoughts. D’Angelo blinked, looking up to see Jeremiah watching him with a raised eyebrow. “You still with us, kid?”

  D’Angelo nodded quickly. “Uh—yeah. Just… thinking.”

  Jeremiah smirked but didn’t press him on it. Instead, he turned back to Shadow. “Alright, I need you to do a sweep of the area. Check for any hostiles. We don’t want anything sneaking up on us while we investigate.”

  Shadow’s ears perked up, and he gave a sharp nod. “Got it! One full sweep coming right up!” Without another word, he darted off into the trees, moving swiftly and silently despite his excitement.

  A few moments later, he returned, his tongue hanging out in an easy pant. “All clear! Nothing big or nasty nearby. Just some small critters hiding in the brush.”

  “Good work,” Jeremiah said. “Alright, let’s move.”

  With Shadow leading the way, the three of them made their way toward the ruins of D’Angelo’s house. The air felt heavy as they approached, the weight of what had happened settling on D’Angelo’s chest. He swallowed hard, bracing himself for what they might find.