19

By ten o'clock, the Founder's Festival was in full swing.

The park was alive with music.

Children darted between booths clutching balloons almost as big as they were.

The smell of smoked brisket, fresh cinnamon rolls, and kettle corn drifted through the crisp mountain air.

Someone had started a bluegrass band on the stage near the gazebo, and couples of every age danced together on the grass.

Emily couldn't stop smiling.

"This is incredible."

Melissa handed her a wide-brimmed conservation hat embroidered with the department's logo.

"Official uniform."

Emily placed it on her head.

"How do I look?"

Noah looked her up and down.

"Like someone who's about to answer two hundred questions."

Emily laughed.

"I've worked with kids before."

"Oh, I know."

"You don't understand."

"What?"

"They'll ask you things like..."

He lowered his voice dramatically.

"'Can squirrels get married?'"

Emily blinked.

"...Has someone actually asked you that?"

"Twice."

She burst into laughter.

---

Near the edge of the park, nearly twenty children gathered beneath a wooden sign that read:

Junior Forest Explorers

Parents stood nearby, chatting while snapping photographs.

Some children carried tiny backpacks.

Others wore binoculars around their necks.

One little boy proudly held a magnifying glass nearly as large as his face.

Emily crouched to their level.

"Good morning, everyone!"

A chorus of excited voices answered.

"Good morning!"

"My name is Emily."

"I'm going to show you some of the amazing things that live in our forest."

A little girl with bright red pigtails raised her hand before Emily had even finished speaking.

"Yes?"

"Do bears eat birthday cake?"

Emily blinked.

"...Probably not."

The little girl looked relieved.

"Good."

"My birthday's next week."

Emily smiled.

"I think your cake is safe."

The children giggled.

Behind them, Kael quietly approached.

He had kept his promise.

He wasn't working from behind a desk.

Instead, he wore a department badge clipped to his shirt and carried a first-aid backpack over one shoulder.

Emily smiled when she saw him.

"You actually came."

"I promised."

"You did."

He looked toward the children.

"They seem excited."

"They've already asked me about bear birthday parties."

Kael nodded thoughtfully.

"Reasonable concern."

Emily laughed.

"You are absolutely no help."

---

The walk began along a wide trail just beyond the park.

Kael stayed near the back while Emily led the group.

She pointed out different kinds of trees.

"This one is a ponderosa pine."

The children immediately surrounded it.

"Why does it smell funny?"

Emily smiled.

"Come closer."

She gently scraped a small piece of bark.

"Now smell it."

One by one, the children leaned in.

"It smells like cookies!"

"No!"

"Vanilla!"

"It smells like pancakes!"

Emily laughed.

"A lot of people say it smells like butterscotch."

The children took turns smelling the bark again.

One little boy looked up.

"The tree smells better than my dad."

The adults walking behind them laughed.

Even Kael smiled.

---

Farther along the trail, Emily knelt beside a patch of animal tracks pressed into the damp soil.

"Who can guess what made these?"

Hands shot into the air.

"A dinosaur!"

"A rabbit!"

"My brother!"

Emily laughed.

"Good guesses."

She pointed carefully.

"See the four toes?"

The children leaned closer.

"It's a fox."

Kael watched from several steps away.

She was completely natural with them.

Patient.

Encouraging.

Never talking down to them.

She made every answer feel important.

One little boy had been shy when the walk began.

Now he walked beside Emily asking question after question.

Kael found himself smiling.

Lena, who had quietly joined the back of the group, noticed immediately.

"You've smiled at least six times."

Kael looked over.

"Have I?"

"Seven."

"I wasn't counting."

"I was."

She leaned closer.

"She has no idea she's doing this to you."

"No."

Kael watched Emily help a little girl identify wildflowers.

"She doesn't."

---

Halfway through the walk, the group reached a small clearing.

Emily stopped beside a fallen log.

"Okay..."

She looked around dramatically.

"Who can be the quietest?"

Instantly every child froze.

Parents exchanged amused looks.

Emily whispered,

"If we're very quiet..."

"...maybe we'll see something."

The clearing became completely silent.

For nearly a minute...

Nothing happened.

Then...

A tiny chipmunk scampered onto the fallen log.

The children gasped.

"It came!"

"It heard us!"

"It has a peanut!"

Emily whispered,

"See?"

"When we slow down..."

"The forest starts talking."

Kael felt a strange warmth spread through his chest.

She wasn't just teaching facts.

She was teaching wonder.

---

Unseen by anyone in the group...

Jonathan Mercer stood nearly a hundred yards away on another trail.

He watched through binoculars.

The younger hunter joined him.

"She's good."

Mercer nodded.

"Very."

"The children trust her."

"So does the Alpha."

The younger hunter lowered her binoculars.

"I've never seen him like this."

Mercer continued watching Kael.

"No."

"Neither have I."

---

Back with the group, a little boy tugged gently on Kael's sleeve.

"Mister?"

Kael looked down.

"Yes?"

"Are you Emily's husband?"

Kael nearly choked.

Emily spun around.

"What?"

The little boy pointed between them.

"My mom says grown-ups only smile that much around people they love."

Complete silence.

Several parents suddenly became fascinated by nearby trees.

Noah, who had just caught up with the group carrying extra water bottles, turned away so no one would see him laughing.

Emily felt her face grow warm.

"We're..."

She searched for the right words.

"...friends."

Kael nodded calmly.

"We work together."

The little boy frowned thoughtfully.

"Oh."

He accepted the answer without another question and ran off to inspect a butterfly.

The moment he was out of earshot...

Noah quietly whispered,

"Out of the mouths of babes."

Kael gave him a look.

"Not one word."

"I'm saying nothing."

Lena walked past.

"I heard everything."

"So did half the parents."

Emily covered her face with one hand, laughing despite herself.

"I think I'm going to be teased about this forever."

Kael looked at her with an apologetic smile.

"I suspect so."

She looked back at him.

For just a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then they both laughed.

It was easy.

Natural.

The kind of laughter shared between people who had quickly become comfortable in each other's company.

Neither of them noticed Magnus standing on the ridge overlooking the trail.

His crimson eyes followed every smile.

Every shared glance.

Every moment they unknowingly moved closer together.

His expression remained unreadable.

"They're forming the bond faster than expected," he murmured.

He turned away from the overlook and disappeared into the trees.

"The time for watching..."

"...is almost over."