Chapter 11: The Forest Watches
The forest was alive with the rustling of leaves and the thuds of paws hitting earth. Sköll darted through the trees with his unwavering speed despite the dense undergrowth. Velren rode atop the white wolf's back, gripping his hands tightly to tufts of fur as branches whipped past them. Fenrir led the way with his steady and composed pace, weaving through the foliage with ease.
"Hold on tight, kid!" Sköll called back with a grin in his voice.
"Unless you wanna be tree fertilizer."
"I'm holding on!"
Velren shot back, with the wind tugging at his dark hair. His heart pounded with exhilaration. There was something addictive about the speed and the sheer freedom of racing through the forest like this.
"You seem pretty excited for something that's supposed to be just 'watching,'" Fenrir's deep voice rumbled from ahead.
"Hey, can you blame me? It's not like I get to do this every day," Velren replied.
"Besides, you two make it sound like it's all work and no fun."
Sköll chuckled.
"Fun or not, don't get ahead of yourself. Last thing we need is you tripping over your curiosity."
"Noted," Velren said, though his grin didn't fade.