21. Locke
Locke
I watched the pair share a whispered conversation as I lowered myself into the sands on the beach. I would be lying if I said I was happy to leave the spirit behind.
He brought out a side of Fare that I couldn’t, yet I didn’t find myself jealous for it. He was just playful, whereas I was the guardian. I wondered if it would be possible to change the source of his tether.
One of the things we had talked about last night was how he became trapped. Ghosts were bound to where they died or a place that held significant meaning to them in life. Since he was a vagabond before crossing the great ocean and had barely begun to live here, he was trapped to his death spot. A bonus he had noticed was that he was bound to the ever-changing boundaries of his colony. As the government recognized it as something of import and made it a protected area, his domain grew to encompass it.
But no matter how much the boundary line might grow, he would still be trapped here and hoping that someone else would come along and be able to see him. I huffed out a sigh as I rested my head on my paws.
I felt for the male. I may have been nearly as isolated, given not for nearly as long as him, but it was also by my choice. Whenever unwanted trespassers entered my woods, I would either run them off or enjoy a nice meal. Roan, on the other hand, would see thousands of people come and go from this place and there was nothing he could do. Not even being able to ask them about the changes happening around this park.
After a while, the pair of them simply stood in silence, watching the water. I knew we had to keep moving, every day the shadows that stalked my mate grew darker and hungrier. The time that we could spend anywhere was less all the time.
When I decided that I had given them enough time, I made my way over to Fare and tossed my head over my shoulder to tell her it was time. She looked mournfully back at her ghost and clambered onto my back once more.
The moment that I was sure that she was secure on my back, I came to another decision. Roan was still watching the waves rolling in as I padded up behind him.
“You should just go bear. You don’t strike me as someone who makes a habit of saying goodbyes.”
I rolled my eyes before I carefully clenched the scruff of his shirt in my jaws. It took a little extra effort to start walking with him held that way, but I made it work.
For several long seconds, he just hung there, most likely stunned by my actions, before he began to struggle. I growled at him as his movements forced me to loosen my tenuous grip on his clothing. He stopped and the scent of his nerves wafted up my nose as I trundled my pack closer and closer to the boundary line.
I had no idea where it really was, but I figured I would know either when I crossed it and was forced to release the ghost. Or that with enough willpower, I could drag him with me.