I stood on the balcony of my villa looking out upon the fruits of my labor. In the time since my youth, the vineyard prospered; the winery became more successful than my grandparents could ever imagine. It was by my hands and mind alone that such success came to me. Whatever life I had before meant nothing to me, those friends now distant memories—their voice and laughter mere echoes at the fringes of my mind. I was where I was needed, where I needed to be. But I knew that the life I had created for myself was soon coming to an end; my dreaded herald of death, the red rose, Rosa, standing next to me and staring at the mountains.

I said, “The years have passed too quickly. You should’ve told me that you can do a bunch of nothing and still not have enough time in the day for anything else.”

Rosa replied, “The days are relatively shorter here—and the humans spend a third of their life sleeping. It’s amazing that they can accomplish anything with so little time to live. But that also makes them all the more passionate in their chosen pursuits, consuming so much and leaving so little… like fire.”

“Passionate…? Perhaps. Fire itself has the passion to burn, and is not wrong for it, but even humans do not trust it to contain itself—only to burn itself out after all has been spent. That is why they attempt to control it; and I assume why those greater attempt the same… But I cannot abide by their plan… Or yours.”

“Neither are without contingencies.” Rosa turned to me, almost pleading. “There’s still the chance that Ruka will forgive you. It will show a great strength in her, enough for you both to serve a greater purpose—and an eternity to work things out.”

I shook my head with a frown. “There will be no forgiveness if she is anything like me. That journal, my absence, and the resulting frustration will ensure that she follows through. Even if I told her why, told her the truth and the reasons for such manipulations, I would be no better a father to her. Even if she understood what role she played in stopping this creeping madness, I will not allow any other outcome—it was always meant to be me.”

“Your decision only postpones the inevitable, Elliot. If you are not viable, then your actions will lead to a much stronger candidate—closer to Death, and Alice—that you cannot control… But As long as you are living, there is always a chance to change, to do good, and to become a better person… It’s a beautiful world.” She paused, then looked away. “It’s no use arguing with a nihilist.”

“A nihilist you say? I disagree… but only because it would’ve been better to not have been born as I am: a being who can live forever in the gestalt consciousness. How can I truly appreciate the sweetness of life? The suffering…? My experience is no longer my own—and my existence becomes an endless sorrow. An infinite repetition of birth and death that binds me… living the same story… making the same mistakes. I desire its end; to create a new consciousness free of the shackles imposed on me, able to embrace a new existence, and be at peace.”

Rosa seemed unsure of my plans, thinking it over, then said, “Seems to be the goal of all mortals, to ascend beyond their means. So few are capable, however, unable to live in truth. And those who do soon realize their mistake: to live in fear of death is so much easier and simpler than the alternative. And while your connection to the gestalt has given you great insight into the truth, there is no shame in base existence.”

I sighed as philosophy was never really my strong suit. “What you suggest is to live in ignorance, and life in ignorance is not life at all. Not to me.”

She chuckled. “Then I think it’s a little hypocritical that you keep so much hidden and deny anyone else the knowledge that you have—not trusting anyone with it. You’re like your mother in that regard, trying to tackle it all by yourself and leaving your child behind. I’d even argue that you’ve done worse, knowing what it’s like to be abandoned yourself.”

“I was never abandoned, Rosa. She was always with me.” I pulled out a drawing from my breast pocket, the one I drew of my mother when I was still in Sunday school, faded with age. Her blank eyes stared back, holding a heart in her hands with a gentle smile—my guiding light adorning the wings of an angel. “Will I see her again?”

Rosa closed her eyes, an almost pensive look. In a calm voice, she said, “I don’t know… what lies beyond death remains a mystery, even to me—a forgotten dream.” She returned to an unsure frown. “Make sure that you’re absolutely certain in what you’re doing. There is no fated destiny; this choice is of your own free will. There can be no doubt, or it will all end in failure.”

I nodded, sure of it. “To turn back now, after all that I’ve done, would only prove me to be a monster.”

Looking away for a moment, Rosa smirked and entered a fairer mood. “All this to deny Beth, Sam, and Ruka from the same offer that was given you. You never allowed Beth her final meeting—never let her heart fill with despair, only sorrow. Then Sam, so loving and full of hope, had her heart pushed aside; but it does prove that such things cannot be forced, and is my failure in attempting such. But worst of all you’ve sacrificed the childhood of your own daughter, never allowing her to reach her full strength in a loving home. A monster you are indeed, Elliot, to foil so many of our plans and still offer no proper solution. Even you could’ve embraced eternity in your own body, yet instead you shed the body that was so painstakingly given to you by your mother…” She placed a hand near my pale wrist, then retracted it to wipe the tears from her eyes. “You really are your father’s child: he also rejected my offer of temperance. And now, like both of them, you’re soon to leave me in death.”

I put the drawing back in its rightful spot by my heart and said, “Mine will not be so permanent if all goes well; I am a chimera after all. But still, I am all that exists of a human Eli, beyond memories… Let’s make the most of the time that’s left for this dual existence.” I then opened the door back into the villa, gesturing for Rosa to join me. “Care for a drink?”

Rosa smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

❦ ❦ ❦

Ruka arrived at the villa in the evening, solely focused on confronting her father. She prepared herself as she left the car, making sure she had all that was needed, and ready for what would come next—unsure of what she’ll find.

Shuck appeared behind her as she ventured towards the overgrown and half-destroyed vineyard. “Are you absolutely certain that this is what you want? It is not too late to reconsider.”

“I have to do this, Shuck… There’s nothing I want more.”

“Even if the man inside is not the one who made those choices?”

Ruka only furrowed her brow with no answer.

The shade tilted his head. “Your stormy heart makes it hard to understand your intentions. Your desire, however, is clear. Go then—I will follow.”

Ruka took glances at the infected earth and vines, the chimeric fungus sprouting from them in towering stalks and spreading pulsating hyphae beneath. The path forward was open and free of obstruction, guiding her to her father. And when she found him, he was gazing upon the mighty mountains that still filled his heart with splendor, surrounded by seven motionless bodies whose armored hazmat suits were covered in mottled patches of fungal growth. Elliot heard the sound of someone’s approach, waiting for them to speak to him, and wondered the visage he would soon be witness to. And Ruka, waiting only a moment to clear her throat and better project her voice, said, “Father, Elliot, Eli; whatever you want to be called—I’ve found you.”

He turned to see Ruka in the flesh for the first time—and she saw him. His head was white and shaped like a mask with eight empty eyes. Under the mask-like growth his human jaw moved, a vestigial mouth to speak: “Ruka, my dear daughter. How pleased I am to see we share the same eyes… or did.”

The two stood at a distance. Elliot kept his arms wide open while Ruka remained unsure of what to do. A gentle wind blew through the vines, kicking up dust and spores as the sun started to set. Ruka looked her father over, seeing that he had all his missing body parts restored, but all were changed to be smooth and pale, his entire body growing. “Is that really you?”

“For now, yes. What you see now is merely preparation for the death of the ego—an embrace of the true self.” Another pair of arms revealed themselves from behind him. “Best you make your peace now while my mind still lingers and remains in control.”

Ruka gritted her teeth, forcing out the words she planned in her travels, ignoring the state of its recipient. “Were you here this whole time living in luxury while I was stuck in that hell!? No calls, no visits, no attempt to even acknowledge me…?”

Elliot placed two hands together. “This is no paradise, my dear, but a prison. I spared you an image of me that is best left unknown, unsaid. What you see now is the reality of my being—not the man who lived behind a mask.”

Ruka clenched her fists, refusing to give any thought to his excuses. “I thought you were dead!”

He shook his head. “The fact I am alive should have been clear to you, even before. Where do you think the money came from every month all those years?”

His answer was unexpected and confusing to Ruka. “Money? What money?”

“The money I’ve sent?” Elliot tilted his head, some eyes blinking out of sync. “I may be a monster, but I still paid child support from the business account… Did Lyca never mention…?”

Shuck appeared beside Ruka, wagging his tail. “Elliot, Lyca has been pocketing the money and poisoning the well, as it were. She never mentioned that you were still alive, nor did she make any attempt to show your continued support. Ruka was kept wholly in the dark about you—continuing the lie that she did not know the father.”

Elliot’s head tilted the other way, unable to fully see the source of the internal voice and parse it from the others, his arms bending oddly and adjusting to a new form. “How unfortunate… I knew I should’ve sent a letter.”

“A letter?” Ruka stomped the ground in anger. “You could’ve saved me from that shitty excuse of a mother!”

“I am no better a father, my dear. Absent in more ways than one.” The vestigial jaw fell off and sprouted with fungus on the ground. “I’m not exactly all there, if you couldn’t tell.”

“You still should’ve been there!” Ruka held up her arms. “Do you see these!?”

Elliot brought himself a bit closer and examined Ruka as best he could at their short distance. “Scars?” He asked, then lowered his head. “Was it Lyca who caused such harm?”

“Ruka inflicted them upon herself.”

“That voice… Why?” Elliot looked around. “To drink poison and hope that someone else dies?”

Ruka, with tears forming in her eyes, said, “I don’t expect you to understand…”

“Then… perhaps in silence?” Elliot approached her fully. “Share with me your pain, and let me feel your carved flesh.” Ruka, wiping her face, walked into her father’s arms to feel his embrace. Elliot, focused on feeling her warmth, soon felt a sharp pain through the back of his ribs on his right side. “Ah,” he said without much effect. “You stabbed me.”

Ruka released her grip on the knife she used to set free her frustration years ago, leaving it inside of Elliot and stepping away. “Maybe now you’ll understand my pain.” She pushed away from him, staring at him. “And I can finally let mine go.”

Elliot didn’t bother to remove the knife. “Can’t say it did much damage, unfortunately. I already killed my liver a long time ago; it’s nearly pickled now.”

Ruka had done all she wanted, but still, she was unsatisfied. She looked to her side and stared at the masked face of one of the assailants, imagining a face frozen in horror beneath. Both disgusted and sad, she asked, “What did you do to these people?”

Looking around, seeming surprised at the mention of others, Elliot said, “Nothing.”

“Then why are they dead?”

He became completely still, trying hard to physically see. “Dead…? No.” He raised all of his arms, causing the bodies to stand up and re-equip their guns, like zombies. “Thank you for telling me about their presence. I shall make this… a private discussion.” Each body placed the barrel of their respective weapons against the side of their helmets and made no hesitation in pulling the trigger, causing a burst of light to pierce through and leave them collapsing back into place. Elliot then lowered his arms, taking on a more hostile posture. “So many empty vessels… but you.” Elliot approached his daughter again, his legs splitting into tendrils to move, letting one hand touch her face, another pair holding her still as the free one pulled the knife from his back. “I always wanted a body like yours. Deserved it.” He held the blade by Ruka’s neck, then turned it around and lowered it to her hand in defiance of the voices. “But it is not mine to take.”

As Elliot’s grip on Ruka loosened, she beat off his hands and caused the knife to fall to the ground in front of the grinning shade who banished it with his paw. Ruka then made some distance from her father, thinking to run back to the car, but found the shade blocking her way. “He struggles yet still remains… Stay strong until the end.” He then took a spot at Ruka’s side as she faced her father again.

Ruka said, “I wondered my whole life the kind of person you were—or would be. Even when I read that you are… what you are… a part of me hoped to find something to justify your distance… But this? Why!?”

Elliot groaned and said, “It is a necessary evil, timed perfectly, to keep me grounded long enough to…” A hand found its way to his chest and gripped tightly, scratching and clawing the itch. “Such irritation… Is talking all you came to do?”

Ruka sighed. “The original plan was to stab your grave and bury that damn knife with you, proof that I found you. Then it was to stab you—which I did. Now my blood is boiling, wanting more, but that would be in excess; and it seems what pleasure I imagined in watching you succumb to your own hell will be a slow release.”

“But that’s not enough!” Elliot tore a hole in his center and crushed the irritating organ. “Such insolence must be punished.”

The shade snarled and growled. “You will not lay another hand on Ruka, Elliot, or I will drag you into the abyss myself.”

“Again…?” Elliot paused, now able to see the shade. “Marchosias, you accursed she-wolf. You couldn’t have me, so you sought her out… to take her body and mind in kind.” He spoke slowly in anger. “I expected better from a child of mine. Has your life really been so miserable as to attract a shade? It is clear the dangers they pose, yet you so willfully allow it to torment you… misguide you… What a pity, but not for a fool.”

Ruka scowled, refusing to believe Shuck ever had any ill intention. “His presence is no torment… not one that I mind… And he’s certainly done more for me than you ever did.”

“I’ve done more than you realize, child… but there must be no doubt…” In an expression of pain, Elliot raised his upper arms and dug his fingers into the flesh behind the mask-like growth in an attempt to tear it off, then suddenly relaxed. “The light is so blinding now… If he is bound, then… the spores, yes…”

Ruka asked Shuck, “Spores?” The shade simply yawned and sauntered off to one of the corpses in response, investigating it. “Shuck!” The surrounding fungi began to shake, releasing a fine powder which caused Ruka to cover her mouth and cough with corrupted lungs. The increased and sudden exposure caused Ruka’s body to become heavy, restricting movement in her legs, and starting what felt like a fire in her insides.

“How strong my presence has become. My song is greater than any single mind can take… And I will share it with the world.” An errant wind then blew, taking spores far beyond and clearing the surrounding air. “Witness now another link in the endless chain.”

As the shade returned with a mana pistol in its maw, Ruka became aware of a gentle hum in her mind where her thoughts once were, any idea quickly replaced with a synchronous hum of the song. Now under her father’s control, she took the gun from Shuck and placed the barrel against the side of her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to scream, but all that came out was muffled spasms of the throat, a prisoner set behind a pair of unblinking eyes.

Shuck grinned and wagged his tail in her view. “You should have stayed in Sorrow, Ruka. Nothing but death awaited you here—and more to come. I tried so hard to persuade you out of kindness, but Elliot had a greater desire that I could not object to, and I had to see it through… It may seem cruel to you, where you stand, but consider his actions a mercy. Very little remains of him now—only enough for a quick death. The true beast within desires to consume you, to make you suffer as it has until all the world is lost… I hope that there is some solace in the fact that I am here in your final moments of being bound in flesh… Even without a contract, you truly did your best.”

Through morbid laughter after hearing the shade’s communication in Ruka’s mind, Elliot said, “But it wasn’t good enough.” He then raised his arms upwards, curling his fingers to mimic the pull of a trigger.

Ruka waited for the flash but her hands remained still. The possessive hum soon ceased as the burning sensation had reached her mind, allowing her to scream. “Do you have no shame? No regrets for what you did!?” She pointed the gun at the man she considered nothing more than a monster. Placing her finger on the trigger, she asked one final question: “Do you even love me…? Answer!”

Holding on to the last specks of his humanity, Elliot answered, “To describe what I feel as regret would be insincere. I cannot change the past, but it has certainly changed me.” His form started to shift, becoming a proper chimera; its arms splitting into tendrils which started to reach out to Ruka, its voice changing to be much deeper. The chimera bellowed as it grew greater in size and limbs, then said, “As for love: the answer is as hollow as I am.”

Ruka closed her eyes, feeling the heavy resistance caused by the spores, but she was certain and allowed her instinct to guide her hand. Six shots rang out into the mountains in quick succession, louder than anything she heard before, followed by deafening silence. When Ruka opened her eyes again, the chimera laid backwards on the ground, tendrils writhing, its masked face full of burning holes and the remaining eyes staring up at a trillion staring back. Ruka soon entered its vision, pointing the mana pistol at its head, the metal shielding expanding as she charged the shot, forming a black lotus. The chimera then spoke with her father’s voice in her mind. “Ruka… I…” And with a burst of light, the growing mass of tendrils became still—and the chimera’s head was nothing more than a white pulp mixed with dirt.

Ruka walked back towards the car with slow and steady steps. She didn’t fully make it out of the vineyard before she collapsed onto her knees, the ground becoming wet beneath her. She then screamed as an endless flow of tears ran down her face, tightly gripping the mana pistol in hand and feeling the lingering sensation of the barrel on her head.

“Ruka.” The shade pressed his head against hers. “You are finally free. Not just of your father, but also of me.”

Ruka, speaking through the tears, asked, “You’re really leaving…? But you’re all I have left!”

“Such is the way of things. Goodbye, Ruka”

The shade started to melt into shadow, descending into a puddle of his darkness. Forcing herself to regain some composure, Ruka asked, “You’ll stay if we have a contract, right? What would it take…?”

Shuck thought it over before responding, not to consider the terms, but whether he should even make the offer. “Your heart would make a good exchange for my services. All that sorrow and pain, gone and forgotten. No more tugs of guilt and regret—I promise you that much.” Shuck opened his maw and revealed a clear orb filled with a glowing symbol, his consciousness trapped within. “Behold the embodiment of my soul, my baroque, which binds my consciousness to the physical realm. Let it join with you and take the place of your heart.”

Ruka stood up, staring at the orb. “And you would grant me my wish?”

“To the terms of the contract, yes… It often goes unmentioned, but if you fail in following the terms yourself—give up the pursuit of your wish to prolong the contract—your body will be mine to take. And I should tell you, in fairness, that once the contract is fulfilled, you will find it hard to continue living without a heart.”

Ruka frowned. “You’ll admit that much but not the fact that you knew my father—even said you didn’t. How do I know you aren’t lying?”

“I never lied, Ruka. The man I knew before I met you was not the one you were looking for. Elliot Lynch, as he exists in that text, is your father. What he became, what was just witnessed, was only a shell.”

“A shell, then?” She gave a stern look to hide her disappointment. “Would taking my heart not do the same to me? Or is it just the nature of a shade to trick, torment, and possess people?”

“I… we all seek to influence, even if only to amuse ourselves. Had I a body, and the means to continue my research, I could find a way to free myself from this punishment and return to the stars.” His eyes started to glow red. “Even if it proves incapable, your body would certainly be in better care under my control than it is in yours.”

“Then you were always after my body…?” Ruka pointed the mana pistol at Shuck’s baroque, saying, “You really are useless,” then pulled the trigger to release a blinding beam of light.

In silence, Ruka put the gun away in her clothes and continued back towards the car. “You missed,” said Shuck, surprised to find his consciousness still intact, hiding his baroque deep within him once again.

Ruka waved at him from a distance. “Mini would never forgive me for killing an angel. Let’s go.”

The shade curiously followed her. “What about the contract?”

She scowled at him for the question, but then gave a half-smile. “If my heart is what you’re after, well, you already have it. Whatever dangers that come… I am prepared.”

Shuck gave a wolfish grin. “Foolhardy, I see. How amusing this will be… Are you heading back to Sorrow?”

“Not today. I wanted to go to that nearby town and see what the hype is about.”

“Craving sweets, then? Perhaps a souvenir for the others?”

Ruka smiled. “Wouldn’t want to go back empty handed.”

And so, Ruka and the shade left the villa, their hearts lifted of their old burdens—free to build a new bond. But a hidden presence lingered still: Alice, in her white robe, laying atop the roof of the villa where she saw all that occurred through the lens of a rifle. She floated down to where the dead chimera lay in the dirt, mushrooms sprouting from its body. Her dolls appeared from their hidden positions between the vines and behind the fungal stalks, surrounding the chimera with heads bowed as one dressed in a nun’s outfit performed a prayer for the dead.

Alice held a thin phone to her face. “I’m confirming the death of Elliot Lynch. Ruka was able to resist the spores and retain her mind, killing him in retaliation.” She looked at the rising moon. “You didn’t mention there was a shade in her presence. I guess it matters little now, though.” The dolls circled around Alice’s legs, reaching up and jumping in place to alert her about the arrival of an unexpected guest. She looked ahead to see a raven-haired mara in a black robe with paper white skin and red eyes smiling at her with sharp teeth. “That’ll be all for now,” she said as she waved the phone away.

“Oi!” Yelled Moira. “I heard there’d be some action here.” She looked past Alice at the chimera’s body. “Hey, did you kill that?”

“No. His daughter—”

Moira crouched over the remains with a drooling smile, “Guess I was late to the party. Don’t mind if I cut it open, do ya? Organs are so fascinating. And this one has mushrooms all over!” Moira swiftly tore off one of the tendrils, spraying white ooze across the dirt. “Come on, just a taste?”

Alice frowned. “Go ahead.”

Mira shoved the rubbery limb down her throat, swallowing it whole. “Blegh!” she yelled as she spat the mass back out. “It tastes as bad as it looks.”

Unamused, Alice asked, “Why are you here?”

“Dunno,” Moira smirked. “Can’t check on how my sister is doing?”

Alice sighed. Her dolls picked up the discarded tendril and placed it atop Elliot’s body, wrapping it up to be cremated. “I’m doing much better now. Your concern is unnecessary.”

“Hey, hey!” Moira clapped. “Here I was hoping you’d be less orderly. Guess the old Ayla really is back now, eh?”

“I still prefer Alice, Moira. Or perhaps I should call you Mira to annoy you.”

Displeasure was written across Moira’s face at the suggestion. “You’re really not all that fun to be around, you know that right? The creepy-ass dolls don’t help either.”

With a peppier voice she said, “Says the one with an entourage of shades hiding in her shadow. Like, seriously!” She stuck out her tongue and winced, then returned to a reserved demeanor. “It gives the impression that you’re working with the enemy.”

Moira tilted her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She then grinned. “Sounds like someone is projecting.”

Alice became stern. “Each shade is another variable that cannot be tolerated. Eidolons in any form are a threat to us—we must leave none alive to ensure our survival… They see us no differently in that regard. It’s only fair.”

“You think complete genocide is being fair?” Moira laughed. “Humans talk of karma and retribution, but all I see is evil still… Are you a good person, Alice? Or are you evil too?”

Alice stared at Moira without an answer, only turning away when dolls showed that they were finished and ready to go. She then threw a playing card which enlarged to form a door-portal. Alice and her dolls walked through with her turning back to expressionlessly wave to Moira. “Bye-bye,” Alice said to her, both of their red eyes remaining on each other as the unstable opening closed and dissipated.

Alone, Moira frowned and approached one of the hazmat-suited bodies. “What a mess… I wonder who sent you to die.” She lowered herself to inspect the body closer, running a hand along the punctured helmet. “SomniCo, maybe? But they have machines… Let’s see what you are.” She tore apart the armored hazmat suit, revealing a bundle of lifeless dolls stitched together, all of Alice’s creation. Moira, disgusted at the lack of flesh, exclaimed, “Is there really nothing to eat around here!?” She then turned towards the looming villa with a smile, the windows dark and walls scrawled with fungal growth. “Nobody will be needing that anymore.” As she approached the villa, shades formed behind her and dispersed to scout out the surroundings. “Let's help ourselves to what’s left. Maybe start our own operation!”

❦ ❦ ❦

Ruka returned to Sorrow after reflecting on her life and what she wanted to do with it during her vacation by the river. She didn’t have any idea of what to do, of course, but she also didn’t need one. She figured it would be easy enough to live and work at the Moore House with Beth and Marie—taking her first steps into adulthood. Though curious, Beth never once asked Ruka what happened there in North Georgia; and Ruka never let the memory change the kind of person she wanted to be, proving her unfaltering strength. And that same strength allowed her to grow beyond the ties that bind—the storm in her heart clearing—replaced by a love for Mini as she adopted him and shared their own home.

The ever-vigilant Shuck, more dog-like than wolf, lurked around Ruka’s legs as she prepared dinner. “As good as it is, I do not believe this domesticated life is the best preparation for what is to come.”

Ruka, with a gentle smirk, said, “We’ve been able to handle everything that’s been thrown at us without disrupting it so far.”

“So far, yes, but you have only experienced mere droplets compared to the coming storm. With public opinion shifting due to the increasing amount of ambient mana, you may find that your neighbors become more of a threat to normalcy than any shades or arbiters.”

“We’ll just have to take things as they come, Shuck. What you lack in trust I have in confidence for my abilities.”

“You place too much confidence in the ‘gift’ that you were given unaware.” He grinned. “But it has proven useful. The question now is what new disaster awaits you—and when.”

The sound of footsteps down the stairs reverberated throughout the house. Mini, a bit older and a bit stronger, ran into the kitchen grinning ear to ear. Ruka asked, “What’s the big hurry? Dinner isn’t ready yet.”

“The teacher wanted us to draw our families for a class project.” He proudly held up a picture he drew of himself with Ruka, Beth, Marie, and Shuck all standing in front of the Moore House with a large heart above it. “Do you like it?” he asked Ruka, his smile melting her heart. “She’s gonna put them up in the hall.”

“Of course, Mini. It’s wonderful… Our family’ll be the envy of all.” Ruka bent down to his level and opened her arms. “Now c’mere.”

Mini hugged Ruka with all his might. “I love you,” he said, holding his head close to her.

Ruka squeezed him back, rubbing her cheek on his head. “I love you too, goofball.”

Mini leaned back and bit and waved a hand at Shuck to join in. Shuck, still grinning, approached and pressed himself into the mix, simply happy to be there. Now together, all three were warmed by the fire in all their hearts—and the fur shared between them. And even though Sorrow remains an unremarkable city in Central Georgia, for them, it is home.