Beyond it, the shoreline narrowed to a ribbon of sand hemmed in by jagged rock walls. The wolf stopped, glanced back at Noemi, and flicked its tail toward the gap ahead—an opening in the cliff barely wide enough for a person to pass. She hesitated, checking the distance back to her cottage.
She could still turn around, race across open sand, and leave the animal to its secrets. But every time she eased a step backward, the wolf mirrored her with a forward stride, silent yet unmistakably blocking any retreat. The sky rumbled. Storm clouds stacked in bruised layers overhead, promising darkness long before true night.