The afternoon was falling, and the light took a golden hue in the clearing, the warm light now cooling as it filtered through the dense canopy overhead.
Eratz and Mercury stood in the silence that had followed their frenzied noon, but the quiet now felt different. It wasn't peaceful; it was heavy, almost oppressive.
The usual easy camaraderie between them had been replaced by something else, a weight that neither seemed ready to address.
Eratz pulled his shirt over his head, his fingers fumbling with the fabric. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees seemed louder, almost intrusive.
Every movement felt amplified, and he could feel his heartbeat thudding loudly in his chest.
He shot a glance at Mercury, who had her back to him, pulling her sport pants up, her movements stiff and silent. She hadn't spoken a word since they'd started dressing, and it was unnerving.
