The moon still controlled the star lit sky when Braydon woke. Carefully he pulled his arm out from under Miranda causing her to roll onto her side so they were now facing each other.  Nearly nose-to-nose, Braydon could make out the outline of her face and the faint glow of silver light that filtered in from outside helped him to see. The angle she was on left her face to remain in shadows so he couldn’t really see her too well.

Miranda’s sight wasn’t like the shifters, so the slither of light didn’t help her as Braydon gentle rocked her shoulder in an effort to wake her up. Met with darkness, the faint outline of Braydon staring back at her didn’t startle Miranda as much as it may have could she see and blinking a few times she yawned. The lack of light told her it was too early to be up and since she had never been a morning person, that wasn’t about to change now. Barely awake, she didn’t think as she inched closer to Braydon, absorbing his warmth as she felt herself returning to her dreams.

“Miranda, wake up,” Braydon whispered, gently rocking her again.

“No!” Came the almost growl like response and in a bid to find the comfort she had earlier, Miranda wiggled up slightly to be higher on the bedding and moved her arm up under her head to lean on as she hugged the pillow. Braydon moved at the same time, not meaning to keep his face so close to hers, so when Miranda lifted her head to adjust her position again, she was met with Braydon’s cheek against her own.

The prickly skin felt nice against the softness of hers and while Braydon sat up leaning on his arm – he turned to stone. Barely conscious and aware of what she was doing, Miranda rubbed her face against the rough surface, before her head dipped lower to nuzzle into his neck. A soft moan left her lips as her hand drifted up and along Braydons arm, sending goose bumps all over his skin as he stopped breathing.

“Miran-“ Braydon stuttered into Miranda’s ear, swallowing hard as every caress set him on edge. His body had never felt so alert and her name was lost as her hand finished exploring his arm and chest. The coolness of her fingers slid behind his neck, twirling through the long strands of his hair as her cheek left his once again. Expecting her to move away, Braydon was positive he was about die as his body became paralyzed and all he could focus on was the tantalizing sensation of her mouth suddenly against his. His heart was pounding so hard it was about to break out of his chest.

In her mind, Miranda was down by the river with Braydon and after removing his beard her kissing him ended their moment rather than moving away. He smelt like the forest, so natural and woodsy, completely masculine. His strong arms held her close, making her feel safe despite being miles from home and lost in the wild.  Braydon kissed her like an expert lover, as if he had arrived in her life from the pages of a romance novel, a wild man that only she could tame. It was a terrifyingly erotic thought.

Lost in her fantasy, Miranda’s body moved closer against Braydons no longer for warmth or comfort, but with need. As her lips left his, moving to his jaw, down his neck and then across his collarbone, Braydon resembled a deer in headlights. He had no idea what to do or how to stop it, even though he didn’t actually want to and not all of his body was suffering with shock. The growing bulge in his pants responded accordingly to the sensation of Miranda’s hip grinding against him. Braydons’ breathing hitched, and as suddenly as it all started – Miranda stopped. Her body relaxed beside him as the low rumble of her snores took over instead.

Bewildered, breathless and left with his own urges, Braydon managed to get out of bed and went out into the clearing. The fresh air did nothing to clear his mind and after a few minutes of pacing around the cabin, his body started to calm down too. A couple of deep breathes later and Braydon dared to venture back inside. There was a sweeter scent in the cabin now, one he didn’t recognize. Going over to Miranda, the aroma was coming from her, and deciding to ignore it Braydon gently rocked her shoulder instead.

“Go away!” Came the mumbled response a minute later.

“Wake up, I want to show you something.” Braydon didn’t whisper now, wanting her to wake up.

Miranda dramatically rolled over to where Braydons hunched over figure greeted her in the dark. Why was he waking her up now? Yawning, she was thankful for the lack of light as her face heated thinking over the dream he had dragged her away from. “What?”

“Get up, we need to go now!” He urged, walking over to the door and opening it.

“It’s not even morning yet!” Miranda argued, sitting up in bed she yawned again and ran her hand through her hair a couple of times.

“I know, that’s the point.”

With the door now open, more light came in and as he caught sight of her bare legs, his throat tightened again as breathing became difficult. What was going on? Braydon had never felt like this before, and never around Miranda. He was nervous so maybe the thought of letting her go was messing with his mind?

Miranda found her pants, pulling them on over her underwear. She had only slept in her blouse and panties, Braydon was a hot sleeper and as she had expected when she went to bed, he did come in at some point. Had she slept fully clothed, she would have been sweaty and uncomfortable.

“What are you showing me?” She asked, getting up and following him outside.

“You’ll see.”

It was all very cryptic and Miranda wasn’t sure if she liked it. Having just woken, a hike in the dark wasn’t on her list of things to do and as she did start to wake up enough to form thoughts unrelated to her dreams, she started to panic. Was this it, was he going to kill her?

“We’re almost there!” Braydon called out with excitement. Miranda lacked his enthusiasm, the uphill walk making her thighs burn and muscles ache. The ground got rockier and a few times Miranda nearly slipped; yet Braydon was there to catch her before she hit the dirt. “Ok, just a couple minutes more!”

In the end, Braydon held Miranda’s hand as he led her through the maze of rocks and what ever else was around. Finally the ground started to clear and Braydon let her go as he held up his hands. The sky had lost the jet-black hue, the navy shade that took its place already starting to turn purple and slowly things became more visible.

Black forest spread out before them, the river a pale shimmering snake on the landscape and somewhere nearby the rushing sounds of water made Miranda wonder if there was a waterfall around. Braydon went to the edge of the cliff; taking a seat he waved Miranda over. Sitting down beside him, she waited for further explanation and the cold of the night started to seep through her bones making her shiver.

“Why are we here?” Her teeth were nearly chattering as she spoke and without hesitation, Braydon moved so he sat behind her.

“Just wait, it won’t be much longer.”

The warmth of his body chased away the cold and Miranda found it hard to refuse his touch as his arms casually went over her shoulders, his hands settling over hers where they were curled in her lap. They sat together as if they had been there a hundred times before and leaning her head against Braydons’ arm, Miranda even started to fall back asleep.

The first whistle of a bird had her opening her eyes again and the misty fog that covered the trees began to lift as the sun started to rise. The colors in the sky were completely one of a kind, never to be replicated in any painting or photograph. Now Miranda understood why Braydon had taken her up here; it was beautiful.  They sat in a comfortable silence as the world below them began to wake up.  In the section of the river closer to their location, three bears wandered the riverbank, one daring to go in. Birds flitted around on the treetops. In the distance, the deer were like ants, the herd taking up a large patch of the grassed plain. Mornings didn’t look so bad to Miranda now.

“This is just beautiful!” She gushed, leaning back to look up Braydon, who smiled back at her.

“I thought you’d like it,” he answered.

They stayed there until the sun was well and truly risen. Standing Miranda stretched and rolled her shoulders to loosen up. She had never felt so relaxed and it was then the strange howling sound seemed to echo up to where they stood.

“Did you hear that?” Miranda asked, moving closer to the edge she looked out over the land, only to hear the sound again.

Braydon knew what it was. The dogs he had seen earlier were getting closer; the baying howls an alarm for all the animals in their path to run away from the humans.  He had hoped for longer, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen.

“Miranda, we need to talk.”

Instantly she narrowed her eyes at him, knowing nothing good ever came from the ‘we need to talk’ line.

“What is it Braydon?”

To avoid making her angry, Braydon waited for the most logic part of his brain to snap into action. Problem with that was, the wolf in his mind wasn’t willing to help him out with his lies.

“Are you hungry?” He chickened out, deciding to distract her for now.

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” Miranda asked softly, walking over to where he stood in obvious turmoil.

“Yeah, come on.”

Braydon took off into the forest, using the keener senses of his wolf help him in finding something he knew grew around here. The mushrooms were easily found in the damp foliage, and avoiding the ones that lacked the woody dirt scent, pulled a handful from the earth.

Handing them over to Miranda, she looked at them cautiously. “You know, these things can act like drugs right? Are they safe to eat?”

“Yes, I can smell the difference,” Braydon tried to reassure her. Considering she ate berries and lived Miranda put her trust in him again.

“I’d kill for a normal breakfast, you know toast, eggs. Bacon!”

“Coffee?” He added, picking through the mulch like ground for more.

“Yes, definitely coffee!” Miranda could feel the saliva building in her mouth as the thought of a more traditional breakfast took over. In reality, she limited herself to such a treat once a month. Fruity smoothies and trending diet fads actually dominated her mornings, with coffee. If she ever got out of here, Miranda decided she was never going to deprive herself of anything food wise again.

With enough for both of them gathered, they headed over to the water and Miranda was right about thinking she heard a waterfall. It was barely three stories high, but the spray was enough to splash in their directions. As the light hit the mist, it was as dazzling as diamonds. Rainbows of color shimmered all over the lake and Miranda took a second to admire it as she washed the dirt from the mushrooms.

As they sat down to eat, Miranda found herself watching Braydon. He was tense and thinking over how the pup had sat beside her on guard, that was how he was now. She could imagine him in his wolf costume; ears pointed to attention, every muscle tense and ready to spring into action. Even now his eyes were glazed over in concentration and the tiniest of sounds had his head snapping left and right. If anything it reminded her more of her grandmothers Chihuahua who used to sit by the front window waiting for the mail man to drop by. That made Miranda giggle and it went unnoticed by the guard wolf beside her. For the most part, he had only acted human. Sure he had a tendency to growl, but it was easy to forget that side of him.

“Braydon?” Miranda idly sat drawing circled with a twig in the dirt and hearing his name, his attention was fully shifted to her. It was like being around the Alpha wolf, his presence became commanding, intimidating and if Miranda needed a reminder that he was part animal, she just got it.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, sensing her fear at his reaction, “Did you want more?”

“No, I was just thinking, about you and being out here.”

Braydon wasn’t sure he liked where this going, just like Miranda and the ‘need to talk’ dread, he shifted awkwardly to face her. “Oh?”

“It’s been a long time, yet you’re kind of humanly normal. If I was on my own for that long I’d probably go crazy, yet here we are, sitting and well, living together and you yeah. Do you ever go back to civilization?”

That hadn’t been what Braydon was expecting and the surprise registered on his face.

“No I don’t. I, um, well, I don’t know. I guess you never really forget things?” Braydon scratched under his chin nervously, if he spoke about the wolf voice in his head would that change her opinion? “You know how I can shift into the wolf, well he can talk to me. He remembers my life even the parts I have managed to forget. He won’t let me forget everything.”

“So it’s the animal side of you that is keeping you human?”

“I guess, yeah.”

“Wow!” Miranda nodded, fascinated. “So does he have a human voice or do you understand barking?”

Braydon laughed, “Human voice, I told you it’s like a conscience. It’s said they were our spirit guides, come to live in our bodies from our souls which is why we’re so connected.”

Miranda remembered what he had told he; in fact everything he had told her was stored into her memory. Maybe if she ever had enough of being Jason’s assistant she could go into writing, no one would believe there was a man living in the wild as a wolf though she didn’t think she had the talent of turning into a book. Drifting off into her thoughts, Braydon bought her back to him by coughing and faintly he caught the sounds of the hounds, a countdown for how long they had left together.

“Miranda, I lied before. We do need to talk.”

“What about?” She asked, frowning, as she had never seen him so serious.

“You can’t tell anyone what I am. Ever.”

“But-“

“No! Promise me!” He yelled, holding out his hand with all his fingers curled into a fist apart from his pinky, which stuck up like he was about to have tea with the Queen.

“I promise.” Hooking her finger with his, the shook on it. Miranda made a pinky promise with Braydon, more confused than anything. “Was that all?”

“I’m serious Miranda, you can’t let anyone know you know!”

“I won’t, I promise!” She told him sincerely, “Besides, who will I tell out here?”

“That’s the other thing I want to talk to you about,” he mumbled, clueless as to how to tell her this next part.

“Oh? Sounds serious?” Anxiety bloomed in the pit of her stomach and for a second Miranda wondered if the mushroom could be the cause of it.

Last night, tell her it was last night.

Finally his companion pointed out the direction Braydon needed to take.

“Yes, last night!” He exclaimed, falling back into his old routine of talking to the voice verbally rather than in his mind.

“Last night?” Miranda questioned, fidgeting with her hands the leaf she picked up was left at her mercy as she started to rip it apart. The main reason being, did he know what she dreamed of? It was pretty impossible, but so was a werewolf, wolf-shifting creature. Then she remembered their argument, and she let that thought go, already over it. In her heart she knew her parents wouldn’t abandon her like Braydons had, and held onto the hope she’d be found. If that was what Braydon was so worked up about, he didn’t need to worry.

“I’m sorry about what I said,” Braydon started, standing he started to pace.

Thinking she was right and that was the cause of his discomfort now, Miranda got up and stopped him from pacing.

“It’s ok. I get it; you don’t need to feel bad. I forgive you!” Without thinking she gave him a hug, and as Braydon slowly put his arms around her – she hated herself for liking it. She slowly shrugged out of his embrace, offering him a smile. “So, have the wolves gone again?”

“Um, yeah, they went after the deer herd as they were moving to higher grounds.” Braydon mumbled, having lost his train of thought. “Miranda, last night-“

“It’s fine, let it go!” Miranda patted his arm and moved over to the water, spotting the tiny silver school of fish go darting past as her shadow scared them to deeper water.

“No I saw, well smelt something and it’s something I need to tell you!” He was almost yelling, not wanting her to keep interrupt and distract him. Now he had her attention again, and silence he suddenly didn’t want it.

“What do you need to tell me?”

“I’m sorry for what I said you to you because it’s not true. There are other humans, the noise we heard is their dogs!” Guilt was heavy in her voice yet he felt the weight being lifted from his shoulders at the admission. It was for the best, or so he kept telling himself.

“Other humans? Dogs? You mean they’re looking for me?” Relief, hope and something else Miranda couldn’t understand rushed through her and instantly she was up and running back towards the cliff. Sure enough, the sound was clearer now; the baying call of the hounds undeniable.

“Braydon, it has to be my Dad!” She practically screamed with excitement and turning back to look at him, she had to hold her stomach as Miranda couldn’t stop her tears. It was a joke, a sick and twisted way to torment her. He already said he wasn’t going to let her go. “No! Braydon, no! Please, they’re here, see, they do love me. Please let me go home!”

Her words came out in a rush and stumbling over to where he stood. Braydon’s face was void of all expression, yet inside he was raging war on himself – struggling with his decision to what was right and what he wanted. Miranda’s hands gripped his arms like claws, her hysterical crying breaking his heart as she continued to beg him to let her go. Slowly she fell to her knees, her head resting against his knee as she still carried on begging.

Stepping back, Miranda dropped her hold on him in defeat. She would never get down through the rocks without his help. Remembering how loose the pebbles and gravel had been in the morning, if she ran she’d probably end up breaking her neck. That was why he did it, why he took her up here. There was no escape unless she was suicidal.

Well, if she could hear the dogs, they could hear her and even if she screamed until her throat bled, she would make sure they heard her. Moving to get up and refusing to give in, Braydon stopped her as he fell in front of her.

“You can go, please calm down!” He yelled over her sobbing, his eyes meeting Miranda’s’ as he was now the one begging. “Please, you can go. I won’t stop you!”

“What?” Her mouth dropped open as her tear streak face looked up at him. Her eyes widened and it was obvious she didn’t believe him.

“Just promise me you wont tell anyone about what I am, that’s all.”

“And you’ll letting me go?” She asked again for confirmation.

“Yes.” It was clear he wasn’t thrilled about the idea, and Miranda actually hesitated.

“But-“

“Did you want to go home?” Braydon snapped, the rumble of a growl making her step back from him and all Miranda did was nod. “Come on.”

“But what-“

“One more word and I change my mind!” He didn’t yell this time. He didn’t need to thanks to the warning that was evident in his silence. It was like the calm before the storm, and if you got that warning – you didn’t push your luck.

Braydon stalked off across the grassy field, heading towards the slope that would lead onto the narrow path that had taken them up there this morning. Unlike the morning, Braydon moved with more agility and knowledge of the area than Miranda thought possible. Maybe he had walked so sure footed; she just hadn’t had a chance to see it. Then again for the most part he had been helping her, so of course his movements wouldn’t have been so smooth.

There was no help down for her. She struggled to keep up, trying to watch where she stepped not only to avoid the landslide of loose stones, but so she didn’t get her feet cut up either. She failed twice on both accounts and didn’t dare ask Braydon for help. Not this time, not when he was acting like this. She would brave it as best she could, too scared he would change his mind and carry her back up there.

Yet there was something she couldn’t ignore. “Braydon! Wait!”

For a minute she was scared he was going to leave her stuck half way down, his figure no longer visible. Out of breath, climbing up hadn’t been that hard either and finding a suitable landing, stopped moving. “Braydon!”

Nothing.

He didn’t even say goodbye and Miranda hated how much that hurt. If he wanted to be like that, fine and after getting her breath back she ignored the ache in her legs and kept on going.

-x-

 Braydon watched Miranda closely, not cruel enough to actually let her get hurt. Hidden off the track, he kept her pace, yet his mind was racing. Would she miss him? Would she ever come back? He knew the answer to both thoughts; no. His disappointment made him bitter and as she made it back to a more decent terrain, he stayed amongst the rocks.

“Braydon?” Miranda called again, breathless from the climb down. She looked around hopelessly, clueless as to the direction they had come from earlier that morning. Choosing left, she figured if she made it back to the river, she could work her way back to the hut from there. Surely the search team would be heading in the same direction, and with a final look around for Braydon, she stalked off through the forest. If he was going to be like that, fine.

Follow her!

“No!” Braydon argued with himself, already falling back into his old routine of speaking to his conscience.

And if she gets hurt now?

“Not my problem. Let the humans help her!”

She won’t forgive you, go!

“What does it matter? She doesn’t care, she doesn’t belong here. Enough!”

Braydon finished his own climb down and fought the influence his other half was pushing against him. Instead of going left, he went right. The only downside to ignoring the wolf was he couldn’t shift and so as he walked, he grumbled to himself as he did so.

She might not belong here, but it’s all your doing that she is here in the first place.

“I had to do that. I don’t want her to go! You should be happy she is leaving, that’s what you wanted isn’t it? Forget her!”

You owe it to Miranda to get her to the humans safely!

“Stop telling me what to do!”

You’ll regret this.

“Shut up!” He yelled, blocking his ears as if that would stop him from hearing the voice.

“Braydon?”

It was Miranda’s voice he heard next, and sure enough as he turned – there she stood. She hadn’t actually gone as far as Braydon expected so the snippets of conversation he’d been having were not as private as thought. It took him seconds to realize this and the rush of satisfaction from his wolf had his cheeks burning. For the first time in a long time, Braydon actually felt embarrassed. He didn’t like it.

Rather than say anything more, Miranda instead walked over to him – wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He had told her more than he would ever know and all Miranda could think about was what he had faced in the past. Leaving him would be a mistake, he needed guidance, help and she was going to be the one do it. He didn’t have anyone else and her heart ached at how lonely that must be. Even in all the darkest points in her life, she had someone there even if she hadn’t wanted them to be; just like Braydon now. Slowly she felt his arms fall over her shoulders and the pressure of his head resting on top of hers. Miranda knew he wouldn’t push her away, just like she knew he’d never hurt her. After a few minutes, she let him go and stepping apart she smiled up at him gently.

“Braydon, I-“

“Are you staying?” He asked hopefully, thinking that was why she had come back to him.

“I don’t belong here, you have known that all along. You don’t belong here either. You are-“

“Then why did you follow me?”

Miranda hesitated at the hostile tone he threw back at her, but taking a deep breath she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. “Because you have to come with me!”

“What?” Braydon narrowed his eyes, searching her face for some sign she was joking.

“Come with me! You don’t belong out here either. I can help you, please let me help you!” Reaching out, she went to take his hand and this time he did move away.

“I don’t need your help!” He roared, taking a step forward he threw his arms up in frustration. Before he did something he would regret, Braydon turned and shifted. His anger made him stronger and fighting the wolf for complete control he started to run with no intention of stopping.

“Yes you do!” Miranda called out after him, only he never heard her.

-x-

It was afternoon by the time Miranda managed to get herself over to the river. Hungry, tired and angry at Braydon, she stopped to drink some water and wash her feet. The water stung the few cuts she had received in her morning walk and laying down by the bank, Miranda waited for her breathing to even out and eventually closed her eyes. The peaceful serenity of nature helped her to relax. The trees gently rustled in the breeze, while the water bubbled along beside her. Birds sang happily to one another while fluffy white clouds raced across the blue sky. There was no denying she would miss this and Braydon was wrong, she did care. What could she do to make him understand? Instead of trying to find the search party, she just stayed where she was – thinking.

Braydon had only ended up running around in a loop, ending up back at the cabin a few hours later. The lack of life around the area had his heart stopping and rushing inside, it was empty. Sniffing around, there were no fresh scents or ones he didn’t recognize and going back into the clearing pure fear flowed through his veins. Miranda hadn’t come back yet. Would she ever be here again?

What have you done?

Braydon only whined in response to the question put forward to him before he asked himself the same question. What had he done? Was Miranda now lost or hurt in the forest, had the humans found her and taken her away? He never got to say goodbye.

Find her!

He leaped forward, filled with heart ache and determination back towards the cliff where he had last seen her. It was then he heard the barking of dogs, and that only made him run faster. In record time he was back there, and finding his pants he picked them up before running around to find her scent. Braydon’s anxiety only grew, the whine escaping the wolf as he pushed himself harder to get to her, praying it wasn’t too late and she hadn’t gone. His breath came out in quick gasps, the amount of running he had done for the day not in Braydon’s usual exercise regime.

By the time he reached the break of the tree line, his legs were trembling while the giant pin tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth against the fabric of his pants. The tempting aroma of the water called to him and slowly to more of a trot, he didn’t hesitate in getting his paws wet. Letting go of the pants, he dropped his head close to the surface, eagerly lapping up the water in  a bid to quench his thirst. A few more mouthfuls later he took a second to stand there, looking around for some kind of sign she was near. The rate of his breathing had his chest rumbling so it was more of a purring sound, his sides frantically rising and falling as the oxygen he desperately needed left his body quicker than he could take it in.

Enough, find her!

Leaving the water, he grabbed the now wet pants and kept going, keeping his nose to the ground as best he could. Yet nothing could prepare him for the sight of Miranda’s limp figure spread out on the grass a few miles up. He shifted mid stride, fumbling awkwardly as he managed to pull on the pants and falling at her side, she woke as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her against him.

Miranda screamed and Braydon practically dropped her from where he gripped her so tightly and the pair scrambled apart. Exhausted, Braydon rested his head in hands. His breathing was nearly as erratic as Miranda’s and she got over the shock of being woken up so roughly. “What the hell?”

“Sorry, I saw, and you were just laying, sorry!” Nothing Braydon stuttered out between gasps made much sense, until Miranda managed to gather her own wits about herself.

“Every time you run away from me, you always come back. Braydon, come home with me. We can make up some story about you finding me wandering around, you can have amnesia or something!” Miranda pleaded, crawling closer to him she took his hands and hers and made him look at her. “Please Braydon!”

“Why can’t you stay  here?” Braydon was terrified at what she was asking him to do.

“You know I can’t.”

‘What do I do?’ Braydon asked himself, needing more time than what they had to decide. He couldn’t leave, this was his home. It was selfish of her really to expect him to follow her, but she had already made the point – he always went back to her. If he left again, would she really be gone next time? He would be left helpless to find her away from here, and the ache he had decided to ignore about letting her go took over.

It is your decision.

Braydon didn’t want the decision to be his and his alone and looking into Miranda’s eyes, she knew his answer instantly. Her smile took over her face as she threw her arms around his neck. “It’ll be OK Braydon, I promise! You took care of me, let me take care of you!”

Trust her.

Trusting Miranda was easy for Braydon, after all he had no reason to doubt her. Slowly they parted, and leaning back once again they found themselves practically nose to nose. Braydon swallowed nervously, as Miranda couldn’t bring herself to let him go and move away. Yes, something had definitely changed for the pair of them, something neither of them ever considered. With his hands still resting on her hips as Miranda knelt in front of him, time seemed to stand still. Slowly Braydon’s gaze dropped to her lips and instinctively his head lowered towards her.

‘What are you doing!’ Miranda scolded herself, yet it wasn’t enough to stop her eyelids from slowly dropping down as her head tilted up to face Braydon. Her heart start to pound against her chest and the way the sun  hung lower in the sky lit up the meadow in such a way it had the water sparkling and their skin glowing. Braydon had memories of the morning racing through his mind and again feelings he didn’t quite understand began to stir within him. Anticipation was high on both sides, fully aware of what was about to happen, yet it never got a chance to eventuate as Miranda’s eyes closed.

Rather than remove the space between them, the baying howl of the dogs, followed by the shouting of voices had Miranda breaking free of whatever kind of spell that she had found herself under. Spinning around, she leaned against Braydon as she stood and at the sight of the first dog with its handler Miranda screamed.

“Daddy?”

“Andy!”

The aging man blew a whistle, alerting the others as Miranda sprinted over to her Father who welcomed her with open arms. Braydon was left watching the happy reunion with envious eyes, disappointed that they had been found. Then again they hadn't exactly been hiding then yet as more voices began to sound out from the trees fear was all he felt. What had he just agreed to?

----

Just quickly, check out the awesome image created by @gravityhurts :) How awesome is she for making this? Thank you x