Caelan POV:
Elara returns to my territory while the light is still undecided, the sky caught between the last of the afternoon and the deeper pull of evening, that quiet hour when shadows lengthen and the land listens more closely.
This time, she does not come alone.
Rowan walks at her side, their strides aligned without effort, not mirrored deliberately but shaped by years spent moving together through responsibility and threat. There is no visible tension in him, but his awareness is wide and constant. His eyes tracking terrain, distance, angles. He already carries leadership in his posture, whether or not the title has formally settled on his shoulders.
I wait just inside my land. Not out of ceremony, but intent.
I let the territory feel me where I stand, let my presence settle wit
