I do. It’s not as effective a way of blocking out distractions as it used to be. I still smell and hear the forest. Little creatures scuttle everywhere around me. Most of them are mere insects, but some off in the distance are larger. Large enough that I find myself wanting them. To chase them, to catch them, to hold them in my jaws and devour them. I have to block that out. I have to focus on Nick.

“Now,” Nick says as I strain to focus on him, “think about your wolf. ...