"Damar isn't the one I need protection from. It's you!"
Silence fell so heavily that it felt like the forest behind us had stopped breathing itself.
But the breeze blew and the leaves rustled.
This wasn't about the forest going still, but about the heaviness that had dropped on our hearts.
Kaelor stared at me as though I'd just struck him across the face.
"What?" he whispered, his voice sounding broken and filled with disbelief.
Damar did not move; he simply kept his eyes on me while keeping his guard up against Kaelor.
He looked touched. Probably because it was the first time someone was standing up for him, but whatever it was, I wanted him to know that I was and would forever be on his side.
Even if that meant going against my entire tribe.
Damar's tail coiled around my waist, tightening instinctively as if trying to keep me in reach, in case Kaelor did something unpredictable.
