I slept that night in a tree. I had meant to make a fire on the ground, but I heard a chorus of howls somewhere in the distance, so I climbed higher. I wasn’t scared of heights; quite the opposite. I loved being up high where I could see the world for miles around. So I found a sturdy branch and curled up. I was chilly, but it wasn’t the cold that kept me up. Voices went around in my head. You shouldn’t have left. You could’ve helped. You abandoned them. You’re a traitor. No argument I came up with against these thoughts helped. They continued to bounce around my head, rebounding and echoing, until I thought my head would explode. And I wondered, If I had run back, could I have saved anyone? I was tormented with thoughts that my brothers, or my little sister, or Howell, could be alive right now if I hadn’t run. Much as I tried to convince myself of my helplessness, guilt still wrapped its insistent fingers around my head and my heart.

I started out early, before the sun rose. I couldn’t stand my thoughts anymore and had to do something. I headed northeast as best I could tell, bringing my bow and arrows with me. My fingers absently stroked Howell’s quiver, almost like a reflex. My throat tightened, and I quickly pulled my hand away. I could not think about him right now, or maybe ever. It was too hard.

By the time the sun was showing above the trees, I was getting hungry, but I had no food with me. Fortunately, my training under the apothecary covered what roots, seeds, and leaves were edible, and I was able to find some plants to keep me going. What I wouldn’t give for my mother’s carrot

celery soup!

As I went, I frequently saw thick branches, the right diameter and length for arrows. By habit I collected them, storing them in my quiver. By noon I had a sizeable collection. As soon as I had a

knife, I could carve them, shaping them like he showed me. I refused to think his name.

At some point I heard voices approaching. They didn’t sound rough enough to be wolves, so I hid behind a tree to wait for them to come closer. A few minutes later, a small band of rabbits appeared from the trees ahead. There was only a handful of them, and they came from the southeast. From First Warren.

I stepped out from behind the tree, grateful to have company. The leader, an older grey rabbit, stepped forward. A younger rabbit drew his sword when he saw the motion, but seeing only a doe, he put it away again.

“Who are you?” the grey rabbit asked gruffly.

“A traveler like yourself.” I hesitated to tell them my name.

He peered at me uncertainly, then nodded. “Where you come from?”

“West of here. What about you?”

“First Warren.”

“Why are you leaving?” Something seemed off.

“You haven’t heard?” His bushy eyebrows rose.

My heart raced. “Heard what?”

The young buck stepped up. “The wolves, miss. They came. You don’t know?”

“I know. They killed… they killed my family.” I worked to steady my breathing and blink back the tears. “Did they reach First Warren?”

“More than reached it, missy,” the older one said. “They ruined it.” My world, my plan, my hopes crumbled apart as he continued. “It’s burning, and most everyone’s dead. We’re some of the lucky ones who got out.”

“But…” My voice was merely a whisper. “But didn’t King Jupiter stop them? Didn’t he know they were in the Great Wood?”

“King Jupiter? The king’s dead, and his death left the Wood open for the wolves. And birds.” He scowled.

I blinked furiously, trying to clear my head, and put a hand against the tree for balance. What could we do without the king? He had seemed invincible, and I certainly wasn’t expecting this. I needed him, needed somebody to right the world, as far as was possible.

“You were headed to First Warren?” the leader asked, jolting me back to the present.

I nodded. “Yes,” I murmured.

“There ain’t anything there, not anymore. Want to join us? That is, if you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Well, I certainly didn’t have anywhere to go. I took a deep breath and nodded again. “That would be… I would be very grateful, sir. Thank you.”

“Not ‘sir.’ Call me Reese, Reese Brown.” He held out a hand, stepping closer. “And you are?”

“Cassie May.” I shook his hand, almost mechanically. I couldn’t think anything through; my mind seemed unresponsive. But there was something trustworthy about this buck, and I felt safe.

“You have food?” He looked me over, noting the bow.

“Not much, sir. Just some nuts.”

“You hungry?”

I nodded eagerly.

“Alright. Kynan, get her some food. We’re not stopping, though. We’ve been stopped for too long.” With that, he made an impatient gesture with his hand and moved forward. The rest of the band

followed him.

The young buck stepped up to me and offered a hard biscuit to me, along with a couple of carrots.

“I’m Kynan Lloyd. It’s nice to meet you, Cassie.”

I nodded, smiled wearily, and accepted the food.

“Don’t worry about a thing. We can protect you,” he said, gesturing to the group.

I can take care of myself. I tried to appear grateful, but I was a bit frustrated. Since I was angry with the whole world right now, it was understandable.

Pushing aside my concerns, I fell in with the rest of the group, heading the opposite direction I had been going.