novel
The Long Way Home
Vulpes has built his life around keeping his family safe. Each night he leaves their den alone, hunting and foraging with the same patience and caution he brings to every decision. Then one morning, he comes home and they are gone. With no explanation and no one to ask, Vulpes has only the smallest traces of their passage to follow. Tracks, misplaced objects and clues hidden in the landscape lead him farther from home, each demanding another careful deduction before he can continue. Until the pattern suddenly breaks. The trail that made sense no longer does, and Vulpes is forced into unfamiliar territory in search of what happened. His journey eventually reaches the Silent Mire, where every root and vine belongs to Lumen, its patient keeper. They know what crossed their Mire, but knowledge must be earned. Vulpes has always believed the safest path is the one you understand before taking it. Finding his family means continuing long after he no longer does.