Chapter 90

I heard angry growls, saw a second tail peeking out from behind a shock-absorbed metal leg under the slide of the debarking machine. I approached the boy and crouched down to his level, fearing I would see something horrible. Mirko groaned again and sought refuge in me, but his eyes remained in the darkness under the slide.

Another growl made the metal vibrate. I thought about backing away, but then I saw him.

He was tucked inside that rectangular space, licking the wound that had opened on his left forearm. At first I did not dare to look him in the eyes for long; he seemed possessed by an anger beyond my understanding (and I thought I also saw splinters of bone protruding from the matted red hair on his forearm, which made my stomach stir a little). It was Ivan, hiding from the light like a beaten animal. In that state, he could be very dangerous. I could tell, from the way he bared his teeth and blood-stained muzzle as soon as he saw me, that a part of him wasn’t “amo