As soon as he’s out of sight, I turn and begin taking the little path that’s going to lead me to the town. Of all the places in the world, Donald chose to come here. He chose Storm Dawn.
Why?
It’s a four-day journey by foot, but only a few hours in the air. No one can travel thro
ugh this part of the woods in a vehicle. It’s simply too dense. You’d never be able to squeeze a car between the trees and bushes. That’s not even considering all of the fallen logs and the rough terrain. Even riding horses wouldn’t be possible in this part of the forest, so why did Donald choose to come here?
Did he want to stay close enough to visit his parents if they needed him?
Did he want to keep a careful eye on the clan, just in case?
I have so many questions, but only one matters right now: where is Donald? I know my time is limited. As far as shifters go, he’s the best doctor the clan has ever heard of. Cameron’s mother, Henrietta, is an incredible veterinarian and she’s doubled as the clan doctor for a long time, but her training is limited. We’ve had other doctors come and go in the last ten years, but Donald is the best. He’s the one we need right now. I’ve got to find this guy.
I steel myself, and then I put one foot in front of the other.
I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen if I can’t find him.
*
I arrive in Storm Dawn.
I’m sweaty, hungry, and tired, but I manage to make it in one piece. The tiny town must have only about three hundred people in it. As I look around, I don’t see any of them. Maybe everyone is at work or busy preparing for the storm that seems to be brewing. I glance up at the sky and I shiver. I don’t like the way this looks.
I’ve got to find Donald in a hurry.
Hopefully, the people at the post office will know who he is and where he hangs out. Then I can find him, convince him to come back with me, and he’ll fly us there. Technically, if everything goes well, we could be back before nightfall. We could be back before we lose my father.
Storm Dawn is your typical tiny town. Now that I’m through the mountain, I’m closer to civilization. There are roads on this side of the mountain leading away from Storm Dawn and from the woods, leading away from Fablestone. These roads don’t go deeper into the forest. Instead, they lead into different cities and even states. Those are hours and hours down the roads, though. Not many new people come to Storm Dawn. It’s not exactly the type of place that’s known for its tourist attractions. It’s kind of on the edge of civilization: a last stop for lonely travelers.
I don’t even know if there’s an inn or motel here.
The streets are empty as I make my way down the main one. My first stop is going to be the post office. I have a picture of Donald in my phone. Not that I’ll get any service out here, but I at least have something to show the employees to find out if they know him and if they know where he lives.
Has Donald assimilated into this place?
Does he rent one of the tiny houses I walk past on my way?
Does he miss the clan?
That question shouldn’t stick with me, yet it does. It doesn’t really matter if he misses the clan, does it? He’s the one who walked away. He’s the one who made his choice to go. He shouldn’t have left when everything went to hell and part of me hates him for walking away. Now that I’m older, I understand it a little better.
I can understand being in so much pain you just need an escape.
I haven’t seen Donald since I was 13 years ago. He was a young doctor then, fresh out of medical school. Even as a teenager, I thought he was cool and handsome and smart. He was interesting and he never treated me like I was a child. He talked to me like I could handle myself, and I always liked that.
Then Trey got sick and everything changed.
I push the thoughts from my mind. Now isn’t the right time to get sad. It’s not the right time to feel sorry for myself or my family. Nope. Right now is the time when I need to be figuring out how to find this fucking dragon and how to convince him to come back to the people he walked away from because right now we need him more than ever.
I spot the post office and start to run. I shouldn’t run. It looks weird, and I’m supposed to be blending in as much as possible, but I’m suddenly overcome with raw emotion. Donald can save my father. I just know he can. All I have to do is find him and convince him. He’ll definitely come back to Fablestone…won’t he?
I mean, I know he’s been gone a long time, but this is my father we’re talking about.
This is my Dad.
My papa.
Not many people would take in a little orphan kid. Nobody really wants a foster child who has issues. My parents, though? They did. Not only was I a human, but I was a complicated human who came with emotional baggage from being tossed from home to home.