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Chapter Twenty-Five

(Logan)

“Is the moon really gonna be red tonight, Papa?” Wren asked, holding Logan’s hand tight as they made their way around the bank surrounding Comet Lake.

“It sure is,” Logan explained. “Judging by the clear sky, we’ll be able to see it, too.”

“Uncle Kale says it’s because the moon is gonna pass through the Earth’s shadow.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s gonna be so cool,” Wren declared, skipping along until they reached the far side of the lake, where booths full of food and beverages had been set up behind the area where families were already beginning to gather.

“Papa, Papa, there’s Creek and Lily,” Wren said, excitedly waving to their friends. “Look, look, Monroe and Bailey are with them, and Gina is there too! Can I sit with my friends?”

“Of course you can,” Logan replied. “But remember the rules. The booths are as far as you’re allowed to go, understood?”

“Yes, Papa! Yay!”

Wren tore off, leaving Logan’s hand feeling rather empty now that their smaller one was gone. Twin feelings of pride and sorrow hit at the same time. He knew a time would come when Wren wouldn’t reach for their hand or cling to it anymore. Despite knowing it would mean his pup was old enough to feel confident standing on their own, the thought of Wren growing up was one he was ill-prepared for.

“That didn’t take long,” Rusty said as he and Roark caught up, Acer and Bowie strapped to their chests in their warm carriers.

It was the perfect night to be outdoors. What little breeze there was lacked the bitter chill it had carried during the harshest days of winter. Midday in the mountains were above freezing now. Soon, the spring thaw would be upon them, and the ice-covered lake would be unsafe for wolves to venture out on. It was still thick enough to skate on tonight, so Wren had theirs tucked away in their backpack. Another item Gina had found for them. They were bright purple with aqua laces and matched the outfit Wren had on tonight.

“Figured it wouldn’t but I was not ready either,” Logan admitted. “One second they were holding my hand, the next they were over there.”

Logan pointed to the row of logs Wren and their friends were currently rushing towards, filled with other wolves already swapping their boots for skates.

Rusty squeezed his shoulder. “Make sure you have your phone handy. I know I will. We can get some amazing entries for their scrapbook once they head out onto the ice.”

“Good idea. I think I’ll get a few now,” Logan replied, pulling it out.

He wasn’t the only one, either. Gina had hers on her lap. Another wolf was actively taking pictures. Logan joined the circle and soon found himself trying to remember another new set of names it would take time for him to commit to memory, all of them the parents of Wren’s classmates. Between the booths and bank, and the bank and the lake, he caught sight of something that surprised him but really shouldn’t have, given all he’d learned about Comet Lake so far.

A boardwalk stretched out in front of the booths, with paths extending down one that ran around this side of the lake, making access possible for those with mobility issues.

“You guys really go all out for every festival,” Logan said as he looked around.

“Just wait until the event truly gets rolling,” Gina declared. “Ice dancing, music, speed skating races, not to mention the hockey game.”

“Hockey?” Logan asked. “No one mentioned hockey. I love hockey.”

“Then you should love tonight’s game,” Gina replied.

“Can’t wait,” Logan replied, settling in to snap a few photos of Wren as they carefully skated along between two of their friends, each with a hold on one of Wren’s hands as they got the hang of things.

Having never been in a pair of skates himself, despite how much he enjoyed hockey, Logan had been forced to watch from the window of the kitchen while Rusty taught Wren to skate. Rusty had offered to teach him too, once they were able to restock the adult-sized skates at the general store. Most had sold out at the start of the season, leaving just a few scattered sizes left, much like for the kids. Getting Wren’s skates had been a stroke of luck, after Gina had gone through them all and found a pair in their size shoved behind several others on the bottom shelf. That they were in one of Wren’s favorite colors had been an added bonus.

Logan snapped several pictures of Wren before the pup tried to skate on their own and got a bit too enthusiastic, wobbling, arms careening, before their friends caught their hands and kept them from faceplanting on the ice. A hand on his knee, fingers digging in, drew Logan’s attention to Rusty, who looked like he’d been about to jump up too.

“I know that look,” Gina’s mate, Colin, said as he glanced between them. “Same one Gina said I got when Bailey played in her first hockey game. Stick tripped her up and she went sprawling. Next thing I know, I’ve got my mate in my lap, sitting on me to keep me from rushing to pick her up before she could stand on her own.”

Logan took a deep breath, counted to five and slowly let it out as Acer crawled to his knee and held his arms up.

“Hey, sweet pup,” Logan said, picking Acer up and sitting him in his lap.

“See, even the pup knows you need to keep your tail put,” Gina said, giggling. “That one is Acer, right?”