[ We move ahead in time - One week later at the Blackmoon pack. ]
The door clicked shut behind Mango with a soft thud.
Mango leaned against it for a moment, as if her spine could no longer hold her upright. Her legs trembled with exhaustion and her shoulders sagged under the weight she had been carrying for what seemed like endless days.
Slowly, she crossed the quiet room and then she slumped into the nearest chair beside the hearth, her fingers trembling slightly as she dragged them through her tangled hair
The silence was deafening.
Lifting her trembling hand, she traced a circle in the air. The magic sparked faintly, unstable from her fatigue, but held long enough for a portal the size of her palm to swirl into existence.
The edges shimmered faintly in the dim light, and within moments, a hooded face emerged from the other side.
His voice was calm, but tense. "Any sign of her?"
Mango's throat tightened. She shook her head slowly, eyes glassy with despair. "Nothing."
