The morning dawned clear and cold.
Seren woke to find the bed empty. That's not an unusual thing, but the bond hummed with something different. Anticipation. Excitement. A rare, shared lightness that she hadn't felt in months.
She found them in the courtyard.
Aeron stood by the gate, already in wolf form, his grey coat dusted with frost. Theron stretched in the shadows, his russet fur gleaming. Kael paced at the front, his dark coat almost black against the snow, his eyes bright.
"You're all up early," Seren said.
Kael shifted back, grinning. "It's our birthday."
Seren blinked. "Your birthday? All three of you?"
"We're triplets, remember? Same day, same hour, same unfortunate parents." Theron shifted back, stretching. "We don't usually celebrate. But this year..."
"This year, we want to run." Kael's voice was soft. "Just us. The forest. No council. no politics. no crises."
Aeron shifted back, his expression unreadable. "If you have other obligations…"
