Green Fox Chapter 10

Cosi sat on the edge of his bed, bare feet on the smooth wooden floor. His small curtained-off corner wasn’t really a proper room, just a makeshift sleeping area tucked behind the hearth. A sliver of moonlight filtered through the shuttered window, shifting as the wind shook the trees outside. Though the storms had passed, the gusts still buffeted the little cabin.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d slept for, but however long it was, he needed more. Pushing the curtain aside, he surveyed the warm interior, lit by the well-banked fire. A tidy stack of logs sat nearby for stoking it when needed. The steady drip of a loose shingle echoed through the rafters, courtesy of the night’s heavy rains. Cosi tread lightly past the sleeping Eva, curled up near the hearth. He envied how easily she slipped into untroubled slumber. His own rest had been fitful, haunted by visions of galloping horses and vengeful bounty hunters with bows aimed at his heart. Each time he surrendered to exhaustion, their voices would jar him awake in a panic. After too many failed attempts at sleeping, he’d given up trying and resigned himself to staring at the roof. Peering past the open curtain screening his grandparents’ corner, Cosi could make out Dren’s pale face illuminated by a guttering bedside candle. The old man appeared asleep, though it was hard to tell. They’d carefully carried Dren to bed after tending to his wounds as best they could. But whatever malady plagued him seemed to run deeper than mere cuts and bruises. Cosi listened closely to his grandfather’s faint, raspy breathing, hoping for any signs of returning strength. Yet Dren’s familiar song sounded dangerously weak and muted to Cosi’s ears. The creak of a chair drew Cosi’s attention to his grandmother keeping her own vigil. Catching his eye, Elise offered a weary smile and gestured to the empty seat beside her.

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