MATEO
Mateo doesn't necessarily want to cry, but that doesn't mean he won't. He feels shivery and cold all over which seems to have nothing to do with the cold, the boy keeping his hand clamped around Ever's as if he's not sure what will happen if he lets him go. "Oh-- oh, okay. Yeah, no. I don't want that, not while we're asleep." Or at all, given anything like a choice, and so Mateo continues to plod onward over roots and branches and between snowdrifts.
"The boat is back towards the river, so my nonna's cottage will be closer. If we just need it enough, she says it should pop up. And I think we need it right now." It's a quiet admission that slices through all of Mateo's bravado, and he hurries away through the trees in silence for a few moments, before glancing back at his friends. "I'm glad you were there," he admits. "I wouldn't have wanted to face wolves by myself I don't think."
"The boat is back towards the river, so my nonna's cottage will be closer. If we just need it enough, she says it should pop up. And I think we need it right now." It's a quiet admission that slices through all of Mateo's bravado, and he hurries away through the trees in silence for a few moments, before glancing back at his friends. "I'm glad you were there," he admits. "I wouldn't have wanted to face wolves by myself I don't think."
the earth has music for those who listen
