Tanya nodded and wiped her tears as Kalina escorted her to the campfire. The boys looked up sheepishly as they approached and their conversation stopped. Kalina dished some rabbit stew onto a plate for Tanya and then helped herself. Nobody said anything about Garth’s absence over dinner, but the usual quiet time after dinner when Garth would light his pipe and talk to the Rangers was missed. Instead the Rangers went back to practice and Tanya worked off her fury and hurt.
After practice when everybody was tired and drawn they turned in and went to sleep. Only Kalina stayed up and stared into the forest. When Arik woke in the morning, Kalina was still sitting there and still staring into the forest.