07 Jason

Jason

The ground slips away beneath me as I jump over a stream. My leap is high and swift. Makya is stronger than he has ever been. My paws sink into the moist ground as I land on the other side of the stream, but I waste no time in pushing forward.

The night is warm without any breeze. Fall can’t come soon enough to fill nature with fresh water.

Makya has changed a lot ever since meeting Becca. His anger wormed into agitation and determination. We still shift and run each day, though not to burn off the anger but to build strength and agility.

‘We need to protect our mate,’ Makya explains to me, just like he does every day.

‘What mate?’ I ask. He confirmed that Becca isn’t our destined mate, so his reasoning confuses me.

‘We know there are other survivors. We will have a mate. Now focus,’ he orders as he stops. Soil and grass fill the space between the toes on Makya's paws as we slide to a stop. ‘What can you smell?’ he asks, and I inhale.

As it turns out, we train not only our