The sun was barely up and Lily was already in the fields. Her shoulder still ached with every movement, healing slower than it should have because she was wolfless. They whispered, rolled their eyes, and made their usual jabs.
“What kind of a werewolf can't heal easily?” one muttered as she passed. “She’s so dumb maybe she’s deaf too.” Lily didn’t respond. She kept her eyes down and focused on the earth in front of her.
Suddenly, something hard caught the edge of her hoe. It clinked against metal or something solid buried beneath the soil. Curious, Lily knelt and brushed away the dirt carefully.
It was a small totem, shaped like an animal. A fox, maybe. The edges were worn, but the details still showed—curved ears, hollow eyes, symbols carved into its back. It fit perfectly in her palm, smooth and oddly warm to the touch.
