Chapter 66: A fan
Chapter 66
Lenora
When Cameron said we had a big day ahead, I thought he meant... I don’t know... a long walk or maybe a fancy breakfast.
I didn’t think he meant this.
We’re in an open-top safari truck, rumbling down a narrow dirt road with nothing but grasslands, scattered acacia trees, and a sky so impossibly wide it feels like it could swallow me whole. The air is crisp, the kind that feels like it’s rinsing your lungs clean, smelling faintly of sun-baked grass, warm earth, and the occasional sharp tang of animal musk.
The morning light is golden, draping itself over the horizon in a way that makes even the dust shimmer. I already feel small out here, but not in a bad way — more like the world is reminding me just how much there is beyond the familiar trees and riverbanks of White Stone Pack.
Movement catches my eye — a small herd of zebras grazing lazily by the roadside. Their black-and-white coats gleam under the morning sun, stripes so vivid they almost don’t look real. One of them lifts its head, ears flicking in our direction. For a heartbeat, it just... watches us. Then, as if someone gave a signal, the whole herd startles and bolts in unison, their hooves thudding over the packed dirt before disappearing into the tall grass.
The safari guide, a broad-shouldered man in a faded khaki shirt, frowns slightly.
"That’s strange," he says, leaning forward a little. "They’re usually curious about vehicles."
"Or maybe," Ronan drawls from the row behind us, "there’s a predator nearby."