Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 10
10 "Oh, for the love of -!" Kiana said, pulling on her hair in exasperation. Mateo hadn't noticed them yet. He was looking down at his feet, absentmindedly kicking pebbles out of his way as he shuffled along the road, a basket of eggs held in the...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 9
9 "Ander!" Kiana cried in alarm. "You're going to rip your stitches out! Be careful!" "My stitches are fine," Ander said, holding up the left side of Old Jonathan's wagon while his son replaced the broken wheel. It was the least he could do after the...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 23
23 She didn't know how long she sat there and cried. Long enough for her to run out of tears, at any rate. She knew she needed to get moving before her parents started to get suspicious of her absence again, but... What was the point? She didn't...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 16
16 The crowd outside was even bigger than yesterday. Word that the village's resident Wolf was leaving for good must have gotten out, and every Fox wanted to get one last look. Unlike yesterday, though, the atmosphere was heavy and sombre, more like a...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 15
15 Ander could feel the sun shining on his face, could see the darkness behind his eyelids take on that dull, red shade. It could only mean one thing. Morning had come. He didn't want to open his eyes. That would mean last night was over, and even...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 3
3 "Your own brother, eh? That's hard," Rufio said, taking a deep drag on a pipe he had pulled from his front pocket a few minutes ago. Ander was quite interested in the process of stuffing it with pipeweed and then lighting it with a contraption not...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 2
2 - OOoaargh!!" Ander sat straight up, and the pain that tore through his arms dispelled that horrible dream so quickly it was almost welcome. Not quite, but almost. He looked down and was surprised to see both his arms bandaged and wrapped up...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 14
14 "Oh, Ander..." Kiana said, gently placing her hand on his forehead, wondering what horrors lurked just beneath the surface, where she could never reach. He had kicked his blanket away in the throes of his nightmare and now he was shivering in the...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 13
13 Ander didn't mind the blackness itself. It was like a shroud, not against the light, but against everything he could feel inside. If it would just stay like this, he could live here forever, a place where he wouldn't need to feel guilt, or sorrow,...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 6
6 "So you're worried that your family might come after you, eh?" Rufio said, merrily puffing away on his pipe while his wife changed Ander's bandages. Even though they were discussing important matters, Ander got the distinct feeling that that wasn't...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 25
25 _It's been nearly a month..._ Sarah thought, _a whole month since I last saw him..._ She struck the soil with her hoe hard enough to bury the blade up to the hilt. The sun was already beating down on them all, even though it was still early...
Ander - Part 2: Subchapter 24
24 "I would only ever see your father one more time, on the night of your birth," Sarah said, her voice trembling. She kept staring off at nothing in particular, like one who has received news so terrible she couldn't yet process it. In a way, that is...