As the two giants dragged Corban up the slope and through a glade, pain lancing through his leg and chest with every movement, every breath, he heard Storm howl behind him. It was a rattle, weak and fluid, yet long and mournful, and Corban felt his heart was being ripped apart. They took him deeper into the forest, and soon Corban discovered the one thing that broke his heart more than listening to Storm’s weak and fading howls. The moment when she stopped howling.
