We ran until our lungs burned, until my paws felt like they were going to split apart from the earth beneath them. The forest blurred around us trees stretching endlessly, branches clawing at my fur as if they wanted to hold me back. I didn’t even know where we were going anymore. We just ran. Away from the smell, away from the chanting, away from Sophie’s eyes.

By the time we reached the lake, the sun had climbed high, hanging like a pale coin in a gray sky. The air was heavy and wet, ...