Chapter 10: The Beast’s Burden - 9
The sky was a pale, unblemished blue as Rin rode out, dawn’s light barely warming the frontier.
Mist clung to the grass, curling around her boots as she adjusted the saddle, her muscles taut beneath thin travel leathers.
Her cloak—new, stitched by Kio’s hands the night before—hung heavy on her shoulders, deep gray like her hair, its wolf-bone buttons glinting faintly.
Her tail flicked once, a restless shadow against the horse’s flank.
Kio stood in the tavern’s doorway, arms crossed, his dark eyes fixed on her.
The morning air carried the scent of dew and woodsmoke, the tavern’s hearth a faint hum behind him.
"You packed early," he said, his voice low, steady.
"Didn’t sleep much," Rin replied, tightening a strap on her pack.
"Dreams or memories?"
"Both."
She turned, her golden eyes meeting his, sharp but stripped of their usual fire.