Chapter 5 It was night. The sky was inky black and twinkling with stars. Fox glanced at Rose, who was curled up on a leaf in the shadows. Half of him worried that the shadows were going to kill her in her sleep, but the other half said she’d be fine. These shadows seemed to comfort Rose. Apparently, instead of Rose reaching out for them, they reached out for her. Fox inched closer to Rose’s satchel, watching her intensely. He slipped out a random piece of paper and turned it to the blank side. There was no pen, but when he was a kitten, he had enjoyed writing with berries and leaves, because kittens were not trusted with ink or quills. The berry juice provided ink for him, and the hard stem of leaves acted as a quill. Leaves were easy to find, but he had to search a bit farther for the berries. Delicately balancing the leaf between his claws, Fox dipped it in berry juice and began to write. Dear Rose, I am going back to Skyline. Don’t follow me. It was your destiny to be the one that succeeds. I will fail, but you will not. This way you know that Skyline is safe. Continue with your quest and whatever you do, don’t attempt to follow me. This might be the last time I see you. Sincerely, Fox, Fox cringed at his shaky handwriting. There were several berry stains, and the paper was a little wet, but it would have to do. He nudged the note closer to Rose and took one last glance back as he trotted toward Skyline.
