Preface

The night she lay in bed and stared at the window, her blinds pulled up so she could see the night sky. One thousand brilliant stars punched holes in her consciousness, pricking her with longing. She could stare at the stars for hours, their infinite number and depth pulling her into a part of herself that was usually ignored during the day.

Outside, deep in the woods, she heard a long, keening wail, and then another, as the wolves began to howl. More voices pitched in, some low and mournful, others high and short, an eerie and beautiful chorus. She knew her wolf's howl; his rich tone sang out above the others, as if begging her to hear it.

Her heart ached inside her, torn between wanting them to stop and wishing they would go on forever. She imagined herself there among them in the golden wood, watching them tilt their heads back and howl underneath a sky of endless stars. She blinked a tear away, feeling foolish and miserable, but didn't go to sleep until every wolf had fallen silent.