A Lion's Chance: A Crimson Hollow Novella Read Online Free Page B

wouldn’t listen to her explanation but then again, she wasn’t even sure what she’d say to him if he did. Everything she rehearsed sounded like an excuse. She could list the reasons why she wasn’t able to do it, but, as time passed, she realized she was scared. Rather than push forward, she was letting it hold her back. She wanted to bust through it and find happiness, even if that meant living life with a lion.
    Not knowing what else to do, she focused on Swift. The progress Garret had hoped she’d make with Swift was not happening. Every day, she visited with the fox, spending hours together. Mostly they used the time to get to know each other. She had hoped that if they could form a bond, it would be easy for Swift to open up, but that didn’t happen. Every time she brought up the past and Swift’s former tribe, the woman would shut down communication.
    Not being a therapist, Ginger began to wonder if she was doing more harm than good. Sin and Garret urged her to keep trying. They needed to bond over the traumatic events they’d gone through and allow Ginger to help Swift; otherwise, they were out of options. The fear rising within Swift had begun to affect the tribe. If they didn’t do something soon, Jase, Sin, and Garret would have bigger issues to attend to.
    Ginger tried to use the fact they had both witnessed murders to bring them closer. This was the only common ground that would allow for her to help the fox. For the most part, Ginger had worked through what had happened to her in order to move forward with her life, but she had a reason to do it—Garret. Her brother wouldn’t have let her give up. Now she needed to help Swift find the one thing that would make her fight. She deserved a life and Ginger wanted to help her get it back.
    If Ginger needed further motivation, she had to look no further than Zoe. Sin and Garret had taken in a teenage fox when her tribe had suffered a similar fate to Swift and Sin’s tribe when they were children. The repeat of events and Zoe’s arrival at the tribe’s land had brought Swift’s memories back. Now, Zoe blamed herself. She reminded Ginger a lot of herself at that age and the idea of her blaming herself for Swift’s mental stability didn’t sit well. Zoe had witnessed enough before coming to Crimson Hollow and was still adjusting; she didn’t need to deal with more.
    Ginger continued along, weaving between the trees and not following any sort of path, or paying attention to where she wandered. Wherever she went, she was still safe as long as she didn’t venture outside the village’s perimeter fence. Off in the distance, she could see two bears engaged in a playful fight. The taller one went to tackle his companion but he ducked, sending the tall bear rolling over him into a pile of leaves. They were having a good time, which only served to remind her of happier days when she’d try to sneak up on Garret and tackle him, but somehow he was always ready for her. She’d attack from the back and they’d roll on the ground, but he always gained the upper hand and she’d end up on her back with him on top of her. Childhood had been simple. The weight of the memories Tap and the lion had left her with didn’t affect her mood every day. She longed for those kinds of times.
    Lost in her memories, she roamed around the tribes’ land, with no idea where she was going. Her wolf pushed her forward, as if it knew something she didn’t. Moments later, she stepped around a tree and found a hole in the fence. She glanced around, looking for one of the guards. Hadn’t Garret said there were several of them patrolled the perimeter? Where were they? Had someone tried to come in? Boards lay splintered and tossed in from the fence, not outwards. Someone had tried to get in, not out. Anxiety rolled within her but she kept going. She needed to see if there was anyone on the other side of the fence.
    “You shouldn’t be here,” a familiar voice called from behind