Chapter 317: Tranquility
The following morning found me outside long before the sun had risen. I’d scarcely awoken curled against Fable’s side when he gently grasped me in his jaws and half-dragged and half-carried me to the tent entrance. I scarcely had time to pull on a dress before he tossed me outside into the anomaly’s brisk chill.
The soft grass was rigid with frost, crunching softly beneath my bare feet, killing any of the lingering morning haze my mind had been under. I bit back a squeak, jumping from foot to foot, feeling for a moment that I’d been plunged into cold water. The bitter breeze curled around my body in icy tendrils, hunting the last of my warmth to extinction.
"Ice Shield!"
I wasted no thought considering whether a fourth-circle spell was too much for the circumstances, and let out a deep breath of relief as the cold retreated. Then, placing my hands on my hips, I turned and glared at Fable, tail flicking in agitation. He met my gaze unflinchingly, his breath erupting between his jaws in clouds.
"What’s wrong with you? I can wake up just fine on my own, you know!"
He cocked his head innocently, but I felt nothing but smugness in the bond. Huffing irritably, I turned my back on him and glanced around the camp. The white canvas tents were pale beneath the starry night sky, lit only by the stars and the dying embers of the campfires. It was eerily quiet, save for my heavy breaths and the sentry’s muted muttering. Fable nuzzled me from behind, mussing my hair and sending a hot burst of air down my neck.
"Just leave me alone," I muttered, pushing him away. The last thing I wanted was to deal with the oversized wolf right now.
He withdrew, the sound of crunching grass marking his retreat. A sudden burst of guilt washed through me, and I turned to see Fable padding off, headed out somewhere into the early morning darkness. I half-raised a hand, wanting to call him back, but let it fall again. Just what in the world was he thinking? First waking me up so rudely, and now leaving?
Just like that, he was slipped between some tents and was gone. With a start, I realized it was the first time he’d left me alone in the camp since we arrived. If anything, he’d been unnaturally close to me, remaining in physical contact any time I was within several feet of any of the soldiers. Even when I ate with the young recruits, he was curled protectively around me, almost as if he were...afraid something might happen to me.