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Scarlet dug her port out of the bag on Wolf’s shoulder and checked their location

"Great The nearest town is twenty miles east of here It’s out of our way, but lev station"

"Because we see the pale, scattered scars and the faded black eye "What’s your idea?"

"We should stay on the tracks Another train will be by eventually"

"And they’ll give us a lift?"

"Sure"

This tiht mischief in his eye as he started back down the rails But they hadn’t gone a dozen steps when he halted mid-step

"What--"

Wolf spun on her, cla one hand behind her head, the other fir, Scarlet ave her pause He was staring off into the forest, brow furrowed Tilting his nose up, he sniffed the air

When he was sure she wouldn’thad stung him Scarlet stuered, still and silent, Scarlet straining to listen for what had Wolf on edge Slowly reaching behind her, she pulled the gun from her waistband The click as she released the safety echoed off the trees

Off in the woods, a wolf howled The lonely cry sent a shiver down Scarlet’s spine

Wolf didn’t seem surprised

Then, behind them, another howl, this one farther away Then another to the north

Silence crept around thely into the air

"Friends of yours?" Scarlet asked

Clarity returned to Wolf’s expression and he glanced at her, then down at the gun It struck her as odd that he could be startled by it, when the howls had garnered no reaction at all

"They won’t bother us," he said finally, turning and heading down the tracks

With a snort, Scarlet trotted after him "Well, isn’t that a relief We’re stranded in olf territory, but as long as you say they’re not going to bother us…" She clicked the gun’s safety back on and was tucking it back in her waistband when Wolf’s gesture gave her pause

"They won’t bother us," he said again, alht want to keep that out anyway, just in case"

Nineteen

"What is all this junk?" Cinder locked her jaw, straining to push a plastic crate that was alrunted beside her "It’s--not--junk" The tendons in his neck bulged as the crate collided with the cargo bay wall

Thorne tossed his arainst it Her shoulders ached, as tense as the , and her arms felt like they were about to fall off But when she allowed herself to look around the cargo bay, a sense of accomplishment settled around her

All the crates had been slid to the walls, clearing an actual path frohter ones had been stacked on top of one another and some were left out as makeshift furniture in front of the main netscreen

It bordered on cozy

The next job would be to actually unpack the crates--the ones that orth unpacking--but that would be a job for another day "No, really," she said when she’d found her breath "What is all this?"

Thorne slid down beside her and wiped his broith his sleeve "I don’t know," he said, eyeing the stamped labels on the side of the nearest crate: an unhelpful code "Supplies Food I think there are souns in one of them And I know I had a few sculptures fro to ot arrested before I had a chance" He sighed

Cinder squinted at him Sure that the sculptures were stolen, she found it difficult toher head back against the crate

Thorne pointed at so beneath Cinder’s nose "What’s that?"

She followed his gesture, frowned, and with a cranky moan pushed herself back to her feet The corner of a metal fraainst the wall "A door" She drew up the ship’s blueprint on her retina display "The ht This ship does have one of those"

Cinder settled her fists on her hips "You covered up the medbay?"

Thorne pulled hiood to have access to, just in case?"

Thorne shrugged "We’ll see"