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back where he knew it would wait and watch for the next chance to break free. |
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"I'm okay," he said at last. |
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"I guess. It's the first time I've been out when it's full like this since . . ." |
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He held on to Kyna's hand and led her to a massive drift tree lying half-buried in the sand just beyond the reach of the breakers. The tree's bark had been bleached by the sun and salt to the color of old bone, and over the years all of its limbs save one had gone for bonfires. Idle hands had whittled so many initials into its soft wood that it resembled a papyrus column from an ancient Egyptian temple. |
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Cyrus brushed a spot clear of bird droppings and sand and spread his handkerchief. They sat, hips touching, sharing their warmth as they watched golden moonbeams skip over the crests of the obsidian sea. Just when Kyna was sure Cyrus had forgotten her question, he began to speak. |
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"Kazie asked me that same question and I had a hard time answering him too. I know what I want to say, but I need new words to say it. I need a way to describe the taste of the ground under my feet. For the image the smell of a rabbit brings to my mind. For the way my body seems to absorb energy directly from the earth as I run." |
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Kyna watched his face as he spoke. It was the face of a religious convert, the face of a child on Christmas morning and the expression of a starving man at the Thanksgiving table all rolled into one. |
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"Do you know you're a wolf? I mean, do you remember you're a man when you're a wolf?" |
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He plucked a long piece of dune grass and ran it under his nose and then tasted it, chewing it like it was candy. |
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"I know. But it just doesn't seem important. Sometimes I feel like I'm in this wonderful sports car, driving at the speed |
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