The wolf growled, then backed into the trees.
Silence dropped over the creek.
Jessie was breathing hard. Sarah’s hands shook.
“That was too close.”
That night, they didn’t sleep properly.
Every sound felt louder.
Sarah sat near the fire, watching shadows move.
“We can’t keep hoping things stay away,” she said.
“What else are we supposed to do?” Jessie asked.
“We make something.”
“Like what?”
Sarah tested a stick in her hand.
“We can’t fight like that again.”