“Happy solstice!” Jori waved at the other wolves, heart singing as she threaded through the half-asleep wolves. “Happy solstice!”

<Still night,> one wolf grumbled. <Go away.>

Jori waved again and stepped over another wolf.

Blythe and Elowen were waiting for her beyond the snake-den that was the wolf-covered meadow. They’d planned to watch the dawn together, up on the nearby hill. Smothering laughter, they raced up, still in their human shapes, and collapsed on the dewy grass at the top.

“Look,” Jori said, pointing at the barely pink horizon. “Happy solstice.”

“Happy solstice!” Elowen agreed.

“Happy solstice,” Blythe murmured, hand resting just by Jori’s.

“El?” Jori said. She inched her hand back to take Blythe’s. “Er… We need to tell you something.”

Elowen twisted, head tipped in confusion.

Blythe lifted Jori’s hand and kissed it. “We’re dating.”

“Please don’t scream,” Jori added.

Elowen’s eyes widened. She clamped both hands over her mouth and let out a noise remarkably similar to a boiling teakettle until she ran out of breath. “Dating! Since when?”

“This summer?” Jori offered.

“I can’t believe it. My little brother’s dating before me!”

Jori squeezed Blythe’s hand. Somehow, having her there, and knowing she knew Jori was a girl, helped brother not feel so bad. “I’m older than you!”

“We’re twins, I’m older when I say so. You’re dating! Each other!”

“Hadn’t noticed,” Blythe said dryly.

“Mam and Da are gonna be so excited!” Elowen bounced up, spun around in a circle, and collapsed to the grass again. “Can I tell them? Or do you want to? Light!”

“Can we?” Jori traded a look with Blythe. “But we wanna wait until fall, when Meredith comes to get Blythe, and tell them all at once. Can you keep it secret that long?”

“Absolutely,” Elowen promised.

Elowen made it three days. Then, Jori’s parents knew, and most of the other teenage wolves on the hunt knew– though only a handful of them cared.

“Congratulations,” Mam said, and hugged Blythe.

“Behave yourselves,” Da said, firmly.

Jori’s cheeks went bright red. “Da!”

“Of course,” Blythe said, sweet as anything. “Promise.”

“Blythe?” Jori’s heart beat so loud it seemed impossible that no one else could hear it. “In the Darkness… would people care that I’m a girl?”

Her parents cared. She’d tried suggesting the possibility as delicately as she could, just before the hunt so that if it went badly, at least it would be forgotten quickly. Mam had only sighed that Jori had grown out of that phase years ago, and Da had said something about how wolves were too wild for any of that “nonsense.”

Blythe took a moment to answer, thumb tracing a pattern over Jori’s hand. “Maybe some of them. But not nearly everyone. My family wouldn’t. Amron and Jasmine wouldn’t. There’s plenty of people like me– Jasmine likes girls too, and Amron likes both. And some others like you. There’s a harpy called Skyleia, and an elf called Niko, and a couple others I don’t remember. And anyone who does care won’t say anything about it, or Da’ll give them something to care more about.”

“Can I go home with you next year?” She couldn’t, she couldn’t live nearly three more years as a boy. A year was still too much.

“Probably. I’ll ask Da.”

“Tell him that I think I want to join the Darkness. Or at least learn more about it from him.”

“I’ll tell him.” Blythe squeezed her hand. “But you don’t have to join to come live in Amane. As long as you won’t run off and tell the Emperor where we live, it’s okay.”

Jori considered this a moment. “I still think I want to.” She hesitated, then added, “Even if I can't come with you… I don't think I can stay here.” It was Blythe and Amane, or a life as a lone wolf– and she didn’t want to be alone.

Blythe cupped her cheek, thumb stroking her jaw softly. “We'd be lucky to have you. I'm sure Da will say yes.”

Jori blushed and nuzzled Blythe's hand. “I really hope so.”