Chapter 8 — Stillness

We followed the stream.

It wound through the valley like a ribbon of glass, its waters catching the violet sky and the drifting green light above. The land softened as we walked, jagged stone giving way to meadows where tall grasses shimmered silver-blue. Strange flowers bloomed in clusters, their petals opening and closing with the rhythm of the breeze, as though they breathed.

Merlin padded ahead, tail higher now, his step lighter with each mile. He stopped to nose at a glowing fern, sneezed, then wagged his tail as if pleased with himself. I couldn't help but smile.

The little creature from the stream lingered for a while, flitting in and out of the trees, watching us with bright curiosity before bounding off into the distance.

We passed other things too. Birds with wings like veined crystal that scattered light as they flew. Insects that hummed in perfect chords, their sound carrying over the water. Once, a herd of pale, antlered shapes moved across a ridge far off, their antlers glowing faintly like lanterns in the dusk.

None came close. None threatened. The world simply… existed around us, vast and strange and beautiful.

Merlin leapt into the stream at one point, splashing with both paws, his bark echoing across the valley. His chest no longer glowed, but in that moment he didn't need it. He was just himself again—my dog, my companion. Watching him chase minnows through alien water, I felt something loosen in me I hadn't realized was wound so tight.

We made camp at the edge of the stream where the grass grew soft. I built no fire—didn't know what was safe to burn, and the air was already cooling with a pleasant bite. Merlin curled beside me, head heavy on my thigh. I stroked his fur until his breathing slowed, until mine matched it.

For the first time since we arrived, there was no fear pressing at my ribs. Just the quiet, the stars above, the stream whispering against its stones.

I let sleep take me knowing tomorrow we'd still have to survive—but tonight, we were alive.

And that was enough.

— End of second day, first night in the new world —