It's dark out. Of course it's dark out, it's, like, the middle of the night and everyone should be asleep by now.
But Cedar isn't. Cedar's mind is racing, with every noise outside, every shifting shadow in the moonlight. It isn't like they've never slept in the West Virginia wilderness before. It's that every time they have, a tree branch fell on a tent or a sheepsquatch wandered in and ate all their potato chips, or that one time their aunt just walked off a mountain trying to find a place to pee???? She didn't break anything but she lost a finger to frostbite!! What if that happened again????
"Hey," Cedar whispers into the dark tent, at the sleeping forms of their temporary roommates. Then again, more forcefully. "Hey." They try to wait for a response before continuing, but there's a howl outside and Cedar can't remember when snarly yow mating season is and— "HEY."
Tent Five is Alive
But Cedar isn't. Cedar's mind is racing, with every noise outside, every shifting shadow in the moonlight. It isn't like they've never slept in the West Virginia wilderness before. It's that every time they have, a tree branch fell on a tent or a sheepsquatch wandered in and ate all their potato chips, or that one time their aunt just walked off a mountain trying to find a place to pee???? She didn't break anything but she lost a finger to frostbite!! What if that happened again????
"Hey," Cedar whispers into the dark tent, at the sleeping forms of their temporary roommates. Then again, more forcefully. "Hey." They try to wait for a response before continuing, but there's a howl outside and Cedar can't remember when snarly yow mating season is and— "HEY."