Stir the coals

He looked at the wolf before him, with her brain that never stilled. Her thoughts were quicker than his paws. It was like asking a fish to stop swimming. But he knew it was possible. He'd learned a few tricks in his years.

He refrained from touching her, knowing it would distract her. She was distracting him plenty enough already. The little twitch of her nose, a movement in her thigh. Life in one of her paws. His lip twitched, but her closed eyes wouldn't see it.

He kept the amusement out of his voice. “That's why I took you here. Listen to the waves, listen to my voice. Concentrate on them. Put all of your energy into hearing them.” He droned on, his voice hypnotizingly soft. “Hear how the wave hits the shore, that soft crash and rumble of the moving water. The whisper of the recording tide. Breath in, Ignita. Listen to that seagull and its single cry, breathe out. There, the wave crashed again.” He just needed to trick her mind, pull it in.