The Lupine Saga 24

Posted on June 20, 2020 by James Ashman

Everything had been packed by the people that had been left behind. Va’il was surprised at the sight. Even his stuff had been neatly packed. It was time for everyone to return to Rising. Everyone had eaten just before leaving on a search through the forest, so there was nothing to do but pick up the stuff and go. Without much dawdling, that’s exactly what happened.

Unlike the trip to the lake, the trip back was made as one single group. Va’il walked a little separate from everyone else, and was near Sensei. The two of them were at the back of the group. He still felt downtrodden, but wasn’t going to give much attention to it. He was used to being separate to begin with.

After walking through the forest for a couple hours, the entire group in front of Va’il came to a halt.

“We weren’t supposed to be stopping at this time,” Sensei said. Did something happen, Va’il wondered.

“She’s calling for you.” Jo’se had just made his way through the group of children to the back where Va’il was.

“What?” Sensei asked.

“Not you, Sensei, Va’il. There are a couple of strange girls that appeared in front of us! And they are asking for Va’il,” Jo’se said.

“Shiroi…” Va’il plunged into the midst of the group while he ran. The children that he was about to run into jumped out of his way quickly. Va’il had soon split the entire crowd in half. There, with one standing with her arms crossed and the other bowing, were Ruby and Shiroi. They had four large bags with them, each of which seemed too heavy for one of them to carry. But the astounding thing wasn’t this display of girlish strength. It was what the bowing girl was holding. While bowing, Shiroi had her arms outstretched with paper in her hands. The paper was marked as packaging for food. Va’il was aghast yet overjoyed at the sight.

“Please, where’s Va’il?” Shiroi asked with her head still down. Ruby was standing sideways, trying not to look at any of the children. She noticed the group part as Va’il came to the fore. She nudged Shiroi. The white avian looked up at Ruby, who pointed towards Va’il. Shiroi turned to see him. She dropped her arms, and walked over to him.

“Hi, Va’il,” Shiroi said quietly. She put one arm around his shoulder and turned him to face towards the rest of the children. All of them had expressions of wonderment on their faces. A few were staring very intently at Ruby. But she continued to stand sideways and not look at anyone.

“Can I have your attention?” Shiroi was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. They all looked at her. She held up one hand, the one with paper packages in it. “I assume you know what these are?”

“Of course we do. That’s what we package our food in.” Twill had made her appearance. “Definitely ours.”

“Then you’ll understand this much. I stole it,” Shiroi said, “not this boy.”

The students all whispered to each other. Who is this person, and how come she knows Va’il, they asked among themselves.

“In fact he had no part in this. I gave him some of your food that I had stolen after he had drowned saving her. He broke his arm for her. He protected her from your search party in the forest.” Shiroi had pointed back towards Ruby, whose face was reddened at every mention of “her.”

“But–” a kid started to say, but he was cut off by Shiroi.

“To protect her, he took this upon himself. We aren’t going to forget that chivalry. Therefore, even though I am making Va’il’s effort go to waste, we are going to clear his name,” Shiroi said.

“You, but what about the secrecy? Are you going to be alright, exposed?” Va’il asked.

“Ah, we’re just fine, Va’il,” Shiroi said quietly. “She really can’t stand when someone innocent is accused. She’s rash, even. But it’s fine now, this is worth the risk. Probably, no one will know about us. Just two girls stranded in the forest that needed something to eat.” The last line was louder and directed towards the group of children. The murmurs started again.

“Well then, anyone have any more questions of our chivalrous little Va’il?” Yan said loudly; his question was rhetorical. Everyone was taking the words of Shiroi at face value. Those that didn’t, at first, had only to look upon Ruby to change their mind. Va’il noticed it too. Ruby was in a bright blue dress. Her hair was in a bun, but covered by a blue silk hat. She didn’t look plain at all. Everyone noticed just how different she looked, which convinced them that Shiroi was speaking the truth about Va’il defending her. Wouldn’t we have done the same, for nobility, people started saying amongst themselves.

Va’il heard some of this. It was a thought that hadn’t crossed his mind before, though now it seemed obvious. He turned his head, and looked over Shiroi’s arm.

“Nobility,” he uttered in Ruby’s direction. She heard him. Her shoulders tensed for a moment. Dropping her arms, she walked over to Va’il. She stood at his side and looked at the children, whose eyes were all glued to her.

“No wrong was done,” Ruby said quietly. She then took a few steps backwards and started to turn.

Kelin and Pete shook off their astonishment as they realized they needed to be with their friend. Harnes walked with them, down the path between the children that had been formed earlier by Va’il.

Kelin walked up to Va’il and put his hand on Va’il’s head. He quickly retracted it in surprise. Va’il looked up to see Kelin’s surprised expression. Kelin wasn’t looking at Va’il; he was looking behind him. The sight of Ruby did something strange to Kelin, is what Va’il thought. Then Va’il realized the sound of something fast approaching was the real cause of Kelin’s surprise. Behind them was the sound of at least twenty horses approaching quickly.

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The Lupine Saga 23

Posted on June 13, 2020 by James Ashman

“They were interesting.”

The sun had barely moved before Va’il had to stop walking, but it was not out of exhaustion. He had barely walked for five minutes before his renewed senses picked up a noise. His questions about the ambiguous girls were pushed from his mind.

A sound was slowly moving towards him. He strained his ears to hear. The sound became louder and louder as it got closer. Eventually, he realized that it wasn’t just one sound, but a large collection of sounds; the sound of children talking. He started walking quickly towards the voices.

“It’s Va’il!”

“The half is still alive!”

A large group of students had been searching through the forest when they suddenly saw Va’il walking out of the depths of the forest towards them. Amidst the many shocked expressions were two quickly moving objects. Va’il spotted Pete as he rushed towards Va’il. Behind Pete was the small Harnes. Kelin was casually walking. They were the only three that were moving, as everyone else had dazed expressions.

“You, you!” Pete cried out. It was all he could muster as the hefty swine put his arms around Va’il. Va’il felt his shoulders drop a bit lower from the weight, but it felt good. Kelin, silent in his joy, simply patted Va’il on the back. Va’il could feel the tension in Kelin’s hand.

“My friends…” Va’il said, the tears finally coming to him.

“We thought you had… um, I mean, you’re alive, Va’il,” Pete said. Sensei had walked over as well, showing a relieved smile.

Va’il nodded slightly. He then flinched. Harnes had just discovered his broken arm. Not two seconds passed before she ran off as fast as she could. Pete let go of Va’il and stared him straight in the eye.

“What happened?” Pete asked. The tears running from his face didn’t match the serious tone he had.

“I’m not sure entirely, myself,” Va’il said honestly. He still wasn’t sure of the answer. While in this group of friends, the events that had transpired didn’t seem real. He looked down at his left arm. The break was real. The splint was real. The bandages were from a dress; that too was real. But everything else, especially the drowning, didn’t seem as if it had really happened. “There was a whirlpool under the lake. It sucked me into a cave. Eventually, it led out.”

His one sentence explanation seemed to be enough for Pete. Explaining everything wouldn’t be good, Va’il thought. He thought of Ruby’s attitude, and her silent conversation with Shiroi. I’ll protect them at least. As thanks for the help, and they seemed really troubled that anyone would know who they are, Va’il thought to himself. He mustered a little courage from this thought.

Kelin looked at him with squinted eyes. The explanation didn’t suffice for him, but he wasn’t going to make an issue of it now that Pete had stopped crying. Soon, though, the questions he had would arise again.

Va’il tried answering questions that the other kids had. He explained the feeling of the whirlpool and the experience of walking for hours and hours, which wasn’t much to say. He avoided talking about Ruby, whose name he still thought was Shiroi. It still didn’t seem real to him, so he also didn’t mention the underground cavern filled with statues and a pavilion. He also wasn’t sure how much people would believe him. No one seemed to ask about what happened to the person who was drowning either, but Va’il didn’t even notice that part of the hole in his story.

“Oh, but how much time has passed?” Va’il realized that the sun was still quite low in the sky.

“A couple days. Today is the trip back,” Kelin said calmly. Va’il was shocked. The time in the tunnels had passed much differently. He knew that the hunger and exhaustion he felt were extreme, but two days was longer than he expected.

“The trip back? Today?” Va’il asked.

“Yes. It’s still morning even now. The campsite is being packed away by everyone still there. We leave when we get back,” Kelin said.

“But, then, why are so many of you out here in the forest?” Va’il asked. They had barely moved as a group when Harnes came running back, breaking the flow of the conversation.

She was carrying real bandages and a shaped splint; part of the medical supplies they had brought. Everyone stopped and waited as Harnes addressed Va’il’s broken arm in her usual noiselessness. She carefully undid the bandages that Ruby had tied around his arm. Harnes seemed to notice that the material was previously clothing, but she ignored it as she continued with her work. Va’il took each of the bandages in his right hand as Harnes undid them.

“I want to keep them,” he said to her, quietly. She nodded and threw the sticks that formed the crudely made split away. The arm was covered in scratches and bruised. The swelling wasn’t as bad as before, and Harnes slowly adjusted the splint to Va’il’s arm. Part of the splint went around Va’il’s neck. His arm was now supported in front of him. He said, “Thank you,” to Harnes, and used his good hand to try and put the old bandages in his pocket.

Va’il noticed too late. His fumbling with his pocket when putting the bandages in it caused something to fall out of it. It was a folded paper. It fell to the ground with the markings facing up.

Twill, previously unnoticed, was immediately at Va’il’s feet. She picked up the paper faster than most people could notice. But Twill had noticed, and took personal responsibility to reclaim what she thought had been lost.

“Va’il,” she said calmly, “is this what I know it is?”

“Uh.” Va’il was at a loss. The sudden change in atmosphere caught him completely off guard. He didn’t think anything of the package in his pocket a minute ago. He was quickly realizing that this was something he should not have had.

“It’s the paper package for our food, right?” Sensei asked.

“Yes,” Harnes said as she finished tightening a loose bandage on Va’il’s arm. It was now too tight.

“One of the stolen ones, yes it is,” Ter’ae said with the widest grin he had yet shown. A few of the kids standing near Ter’ae moved a few feet away from him when they realized how close he was to them.

“Wait, stolen? That is presumptive, isn’t it?” Pete asked.

“Evidence is evidence.” Twill was uncharacteristically slow in her reply.

“What kind of evidence is that? There’s no reason to think Va’il hadn’t had it earlier! We all eat the same stuff, there is nothing proving that is one of the missing packages,” Kelin said.

“It’s never been wet.” Twill’s answer silenced everyone. She held up the paper, now unfolded. The edges were still sharp, the ink hadn’t run, and it folded and unfolded with ease. Anyone could see that this paper had never been wet.

“The white and clawed thief makes his appearance!” Ter’ae shouted happily. The crowd of children had formed in a circle around the main characters, which in turn were all looking towards Va’il, a small child amidst many people older than him. His few, but reliable friends were not going to give up so easily.

“Still, Va’il can explain, right? We all saw him go down in the water! This accusation doesn’t make sense, if you think about it,” Kelin said; the usual calm in his voice was missing. Twill scowled at him.

“And just what do you think we were doing while he was supposedly off drowning? That’s right, trying to figure out who was still stealing food! Don’t you forget just why we were searching through this forest! Tracking down the thief who was careless enough to leave a few tracks leading in the direction your friend just came from!” Twill huffed while her feathers ruffled.

“Va’il, say something. You didn’t do this, right?” Kelin asked pleadingly of his small friend.

“I…” Va’il didn’t know just what to say. I need to think about this calmly, he told himself. The small boy was thinking rather clearly considering the irrationality of everyone surrounding him. The pressure of the world in that moment didn’t seem to exist in Va’il’s mind.

The only pressure he felt was the nagging feeling in his chest. The thought of two unique girls was imposing itself in his mind. He considered if he should tell everyone about them, but not for long. He didn’t want the girls to be discovered. They had helped him too much for him to want to expose them. He thought of the secrecy that they showed. More than that, he remembered the girls’ whispered conversation.

His decision was one some people would call foolish. He listened quietly to the surrounding children. There were shouts and yells. There were his two friends along with Harnes and Twill surrounding him, even protecting him. The voices and sounds faded from his mind. He thought of the fact that the two girls were a short walk from here. Not even ten minutes. He heard the sounds of the air rushing through the trees behind him. The sounds of the leaves cracking, branches cracking, wildlife scattering. The sound of wood breaking reminded him of his own break. I’ve already sacrificed much to protect them, he thought again. A little more sacrifice is fine, he decided.

“I don’t have anything to say.” Va’il spoke as he stood tall and held his head high. He exuded an air of confidence, arrogance, and pride. He did feel proud, but not for the reasons that he made everyone think he was. Be unapologetic, he told himself over and over again.

The reaction wasn’t expected. Everyone went silent again. Even Ter’ae didn’t know what to say; his accusations wouldn’t matter anymore. No one questioned Va’il after that. There was the question that circulated, as to whether Va’il actually confessed or not. They all decided to walk back, disgusted. Va’il noticed that even Harnes walked back with her head down. She stayed with Twill and the rest of the children, who all walked together, separate from Va’il.

“I don’t believe you,” Kelin said, then walked off towards the campsite.

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The Introduction of Ruby and Shiroi in the Tershi Arc

Posted on June 12, 2020 by James Ashman

It’s nearing the end of this section of the story. And for reasons that will eventually be clearer, and some not as clear, this introduction to the mysterious girls has set up many, many things.

And as much as I’d like to talk about them, for now I’ll keep my commentary about this section short. To me, it’s quite important. To the characters surrounding our main characters, this was of great importance. To Va’il as well, though his questions about why and who and what and how will all have to wait. But he’s had an adventure, and that’s what he’ll think of regarding this.

To the first of many. And to the mysteries and resolutions yet to be revealed.

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The Lupine Saga 22

Posted on June 6, 2020 by James Ashman

“This is?” Va’il asked, though he knew the answer.

“It’s food, it’s… oh.” Ruby went silent; she realized her mistake.

“It’s not just any food! This is from our school! This is ours! You, you’re the thief!”

“So what? Are you going to turn me in right now? Shouldn’t you eat before that?” She showed no care for Va’il’s concerns, and started eating from the package she had already opened. Va’il, his stomach churning at the sight of food, ended his dilemma.

The cold bread and meat seemed to be the greatest meal in the world at that moment. They both finished what they had quickly, so Ruby pulled another package out, which they split. Va’il wondered while eating, what would have happened to this girl if she hadn’t taken food from his class. He decided not to ask. A beautiful girl, who lived in a small tent in the middle of the forest, wearing a dress that looked like it used to be expensive, was a mystery that Va’il didn’t have the desire to question while hungry. But she doesn’t seem like a horrible person, overall, Va’il finally thought.

“Wonderful,” Va’il said when he finished eating. He folded the papers that the food had been wrapped in, and placed them in his pockets. He smiled at Ruby, as if to say he didn’t care where the food came from anymore. She realized its meaning, and smiled back.

“Good. Now then. Wait here while I go in the tent for a while,” she said.

“For how long? Just let me in, I want to see.” Va’il meant that he wanted to see the inside of the tent. Ruby though meant something different. Her face went a little red.

“No! Just stay out here. I need to be alone.” She walked into the tent, and pulled the entrance shut. Va’il sat while waiting. He heard Ruby move around a lot inside the small tent.

Va’il didn’t notice the approaching figure. The person didn’t notice Va’il either. Va’il, under normal circumstances, would hear the steps approaching from far away. Here in the middle of the forest, the cracking twigs and crushed leaves should have warned Va’il long ago that someone was just a few meters from him. But the person didn’t notice either; the trees were large and blocked their field of vision.

The hair on Va’il’s neck suddenly stood up, and his tail straightened. He jumped, turned, and then squatted on the log. Unconsciously, he had bared his fangs. When he finally realized what he was looking at, it was too late.

A white-feathered avian girl walked around a tree and saw a lupus boy sitting on the log near the tent. He suddenly jumped and turned around. He was younger than the girl, but he was extremely frightening with his exposed fangs and vicious face. She dropped the bundle of sticks she was holding, turned around, and ran as fast as she could.

“What was that?” Ruby was already outside of the tent, now in a new dress. It was a red dress with white frills. “Someone is running… Va’il, who is that? Is that her? Va’il?”

“White avian. She ran off, scared. It was an accident,” Va’il said hastily.

“Run. Go. Get her. Now. Run!” Ruby yelled.

“Why?” Va’il, though guilty, asked flatly.

“Because it’s your fault she ran off! That’s mine, go get it!”

“That? What’s yours?”

“That girl! Hurry!”

Va’il felt a bit strange at the way Ruby was speaking; nevertheless, he was going to chase the avian. He tightened the splint on his left arm again, and took off running. Surprisingly, it was easy to run. He was sure that it would hurt, but neither his arm nor his body ached. The splint was well done, and the food had nourished him. It was as if the only exhaustion remaining from the journey through the tunnels was the desire to sleep.

Avians were known as quick runners because they had light bodies. But quick running doesn’t hold a candle to great running, which lupus were known for. Even exhausted, Va’il was a fast runner with a lot of endurance. He quickly caught up to the girl, who had already stopped running. When Va’il saw her, she was bent over with her hands on her legs, and breathing heavily. In Va’il’s opinion, it seemed like this person didn’t get much exercise. He was a few meters away from her when she tried running away again, but she could only take a couple steps before Va’il yelled out to her.

“Wait!”

“Ah! No!” she screamed. Va’il stopped running. He stood in place a few meters from her. Now close enough to speak, he talked calmly.

“Wait! I’m with Shiroi. She wants you to come back. So please, stop running,” Va’il said.

“What? Shiroi?” The girl looked at Va’il, thoroughly puzzled and confused.

“Yes. You know her, Shiroi?” He held out his good arm to the avian girl. “She was in the tent when you arrived. I’m sorry for scaring you. You surprised me earlier. Can you come?”

“Oh, was in the tent,” she said quietly. She blushed in embarrassment at her haste.

Still somewhat frightened, she put her hand in Va’il’s. She was taller than him, like Ruby was. She is probably just a little older than Shiroi, Va’il thought. Together they walked back to where Ruby awaited.

“So long! It’s been too long!” Shiroi said. The girl, upon seeing Ruby, ran and hugged her.

“Ah! Let me stand up first!” Ruby had been sitting on the log while waiting for them to get back. When the avian girl hugged her, she nearly fell backwards off the log.

Shiroi was crying, and only made small sounds of acknowledgment. She and Ruby stood up, still in an embrace. Va’il looked on while feeling awkward and out of place. Then the avian girl let go, and dropped to one knee in a servant’s bow.

“Forgive my presumptive action. I was just so very happy,” Shiroi said. Ruby put her hand on the girl’s head.

“Thank you, really. You’re my friend out here; you should act more like it. I needed that comfort. I’ve been lonely for so long without you.” Ruby was smiling in a way Va’il hadn’t yet seen. It was soft and comforting, unlike the simple friendliness she had shown a few times before. It made him think of home. Shiroi looked up while still on one knee. She glanced back once at Va’il.

“About him, you weren’t entirely alone. He is?” Shiroi asked quietly. Va’il could only overhear that much. He wanted to ask yet again who these girls were, but past experience had made a strong impression on him. They weren’t going to answer, he knew. The rest of the girls’ conversation was in whispers. Ruby leaned down and spoke very quietly.

“That’s Va’il, a student of that school, the one having the field trip that we, you know, took from. He saved me, that’s why his arm is broken,” Ruby said.

“I see. He should be properly thanked,” Shiroi said.

“No! He doesn’t know who I am, and he shouldn’t find out either,” Ruby said.

“You’re right, a commoner cannot know. It would just make the situation worse. Apologies for even mentioning it. But he’s really confused me with his words,” Shiroi said.

“Oh, that’s because I’m using your name. It was the only thing I could think of when he asked. Sorry, it’s for our safety. If mother found out, I’d never hear the end of it,” Ruby said.

“You’ve already made a mess. Madam will not let you off easily,” Shiroi said in a slightly angry tone. She was also a bit too loud. Va’il heard the last words Shiroi spoke.

“Anyways! Hey Va’il, what are you standing around for? Don’t you have people waiting for you?” Ruby asked loudly.

Va’il, who had only a moment ago had a whirlpool of confusing thoughts in his head, realized that he should return to the campsite. He still had a burning desire to know who those two girls really were. Why they were out there, why one of them was swimming in a dress, and what relationship they had, exactly.

“Yes. But what about you two?” He didn’t know how to address his own questions, and the thought of everyone worrying about him was starting to weigh in his young mind.

“We’ll be fine! We’re going to leave soon. We need to go back to Rising,” Ruby said while standing up. She walked into the tent for a couple seconds and emerged with a bag. “We only have to pack a couple bags worth, and we will be off quickly enough. You should go back. They probably think you’re… well… just go!”

“Thank you,” Va’il said. “I won’t forget you.”

He turned towards the east and started walking. The two girls were silent until Va’il could no longer be seen. The trees quickly hid him from view, and his steps faded into the background music of the forest. Shiroi started taking down the tent.

“You were cold to him,” Shiroi said quietly. Ruby looked down at the ground; a sad look was on her face.

“It couldn’t be helped.”

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The Lupine Saga 21

Posted on May 30, 2020 by James Ashman

“It’s getting easier to breathe,” Ruby said as she smelled the air. Va’il nodded lightly beside her. He could smell it too. There was a breeze running through the tunnel. The smell of the forest and lake was gradually becoming stronger. Ruby picked up the pace.

A short while later they arrived at the end of the tunnel. At the end was a hole in the ground. Looking down, they saw that the hole dropped into another cave. The cave was bright and appeared to lead right out into the sun.

“Va’il, we’re almost out! Finally!” Ruby said with excitement as she pushed Va’il off her. He stood by himself, slightly dazed. Upon seeing the sunlight that was stretched upon the cave’s floor, his eyes opened wider. He also became excited at the prospect of leaving, though he was still unable to move as well as Ruby.

“Yep! We just need to jump down, and then find everyone, and then eat, and eat, and then drink. Let’s go, Shiroi.” With that, Va’il crouched down, and was about to jump.

“Wait, wait, wait. Jump? I was so excited I didn’t notice. That’s a large drop. I can’t drop that far. Can you?” she asked.

“It’s only about the drop off a rooftop, sure. I won’t break any bones as long as someone doesn’t land on me,” he said with much sarcasm. “You sure you can’t jump? I thought you were just as tough as me?”

“Why you!” Ruby put her hands on her hips in the same manner her mother did, much to her later chagrin. “I’m not some ruffian who has spent her life jumping off rooftops. Though I wouldn’t mind that from time to time, if I could. Um, well I mean I just can’t. But you can. So help me down, and then you should jump when I’m safe.”

“How do you expect me to help you much more than I have?” Va’il said while holding up his broken arm.

“You still have one good arm. Lay down with me holding it. I think it’s not too far for me to drop if you lower me a bit.”

Va’il considered objecting, but he just wanted to leave, so he did what Ruby asked. She wasn’t very heavy, so although Va’il thought his arm was going to be pulled off, it didn’t happen. She was very fast, and jumped down quickly. Va’il stood up and shook his arm out a bit. He looked below as Ruby waved him down.

“It’s the forest! Quickly Va’il, we’re really out!”

Va’il crouched down, ready to jump, but at that moment the ground started shaking. He stood straight again and looked back. Coming from behind him was the sound of rocks falling. The rumbling became more violent, and Va’il heard more rocks fall. He turned around and looked down at Ruby. Suddenly, a portion of the ceiling fell right behind him. Va’il, shocked at this, jumped without thinking.

He landed on his feet, but right behind Ruby. He fell forward and both of them tumbled to the ground. Yet Ruby ended up on top of Va’il, sitting on his stomach. Other than being shocked, she wasn’t harmed, something which Va’il couldn’t claim. With no time to see if his stomach was bruised, he quickly got up and grabbed the stunned Ruby’s hand. They managed to run out while the ceiling fell behind them. Though they didn’t realize it, the reason they made it out unscathed was due to the unnaturally slow way the ceiling fell.

“That was frightening. Are you all right?” Va’il asked the girl who had just fallen to her knees again. She looked up, dumbfounded, but quickly regained her composure.

“We’re out. We’re out!” She jumped suddenly, with a large smile on her face. In the natural sunlight, Ruby looked much different than from inside the cave. Even the room with the golden luminous stones wasn’t enough to illuminate all of Ruby’s features, Va’il now discovered. There was something foreign about her. Her green eyes were much brighter than before. She was obviously human, but she seemed to have clearer skin, a more girlish face, and different hair than all the girls he knew. Her hair wasn’t simply blond; it appeared golden. It must have been a long time ago that her hair dried, but only now did Va’il notice how wavy it was. Everything about her screamed to him that she belonged somewhere else, in a place he didn’t know.

“Did you come from another country? Did you move to Rising?” Va’il, in his ignorance, asked.

“What? No. I’ve always lived in Rising. Why?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing. Let’s go back.” Va’il walked forward a few steps. Ruby didn’t follow. He turned around to see why. Ruby was looking back at the cave they had come out of. More specifically, she was looking at what the cave had been carved in.

Va’il slowly started tilting his head back farther and farther until he was looking straight up. He looked to the left and to the right while looking as high as he could. But he couldn’t see the top or the ends of the giant grey rock mountain known as Tuni. He had seen it every time he looked west earlier, but this was his first time being at it. The sides were smooth, flat, and even. It didn’t seem as though the mountain had any curves in it whatsoever. Yet, this giant solid structure had a cave in it that led to a large underground cavern near the lake.

“The lake! We can go east to get back to the lake. We won’t have to walk very long to get back to the camp from there!” Va’il said in sudden realization.

“No.” Ruby replied curtly. She was done admiring Tuni, and had walked over to Va’il.

“What? Why? I need to get back!” Va’il said while beginning to panic.

“So do I. So we walk this way, south through the forest. We stay in the forest, and we will be fine,” she said.

“Why?”

“Just do it,” Ruby said, ending the dispute.

Va’il tried objecting, but Ruby wasn’t going to let him have his way. He knew he couldn’t object either, because he wouldn’t be able to walk alone for long. Relying on his arrogant partner, Va’il traveled south.

After a while, Ruby started looking around at the trees. She smiled a few times, and changed directions through the forest a few times. Va’il soon realized that she knew exactly where she was going, because after a while they came across a camp in the middle of the forest. It was in the middle of the trees; there wasn’t even a clearing. A small orange tent with a few small items around it was Ruby’s camp.

A small tree that had long ago fallen over was next to the tent. There was a small circle of stones around the ashes of a recently extinguished fire. There were sticks and leaves piled neatly next to the fireplace.

Ruby walked Va’il over to the fallen tree, and he sat quietly on it.

“Have you been staying here?” he asked.

“Yeah. Sit there, don’t move.”

Ruby took Va’il’s left arm and started undoing the bandages. The skin was white from being compressed. Once the bandages were removed, blood flowed into the area and started increasing the size of his arm. Ruby was moving quickly enough to keep Va’il’s arm from swelling too much. In just a few moments, she had taken a few sticks and set them against his arm as a splint. The bandages were back on again, and were just as tight as ever. With the sticks in place, Va’il felt like his arm was firmer than before.

“Thank you,” he said with a smile that showed his teeth. Ruby stopped and stared. “What’s wrong?”

“Smile again, open your mouth,” she said. Va’il opened his mouth again. Ruby, looking like a curious cat, investigated his teeth, ears, and tail again. She took a finger and touched the tip of one of his teeth. “Wow! It’s sharp! You really are interesting!”

“Hah. Just try putting your finger in my mouth again. I’m getting really hungry. At this point, I could eat just about anything,” Va’il said in a threatening yet casual matter. Ruby just laughed.

“Oh! Food! Water! Life!” Ruby got up, walked over to the tent, and pulled out a small box from inside. She took out a few packages, as well as two goatskins filled with water. She gave one of the packages to the now-troubled Va’il. It had familiar markings on top of it.

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