Awoooooooooo!!!

I wake up with a start at the far off howls, breathing heavily. My wing hurt when I slept, the skin underneath my feathers itching. The wounds were healing, but not healing fast enough. I still couldn’t fly.

It’s been 2 weeks since Greenie and I met the motley trio.

I never did find out what was going on with the Elves.

The rat had accidentally caught on fire and we’d been busy trying to save it.

Greenie lay curled around me, back to the fire to protect me from the sparks.

Awoooooooooooooo!

The hole in the back of the cave was no longer a problem. It was Crixus who’d suggested we’d seal the hole if it made Andvari and me so nervous. It was also Crixus who went out and found a large slab of rock, heaving his shoulder against it until it finally fell over the hole. The size of it was perfect, big enough to cover the hole.

I’d added on to that by having Andvari and Greenie dig out the Siphon Bushes and plant them around the hole. This way, if something did make it out past the lid, it would be sucked dry before it even thought of getting out and stealing our food.

Andvari had even installed a sliding plank of wood underlaid with rocks so that we could check on the hole once in a while without having to crawl through the bushes. The Siphon Bush roots were quite short, in contrast with their long tendrils used to drag their prey in, which made them perfect for moving around. When Greenie or Andvari’s hands were wrapped in the cut off branches, this plant was easy enough to handle.

As long as we threw in a live creature in the bush every once in a while, the bush was full of vitality and never tried to harm us.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz…gh….grkk…zzzzzzzzz

Heavy dwarf snores rumbled in the night.

That was another thing. Andvari was a snorer.

The other two also slept around the dying embers of the fire. Andvari practically slept right on top of the fire. Flames licked at his bare torso, Andvari only scratching his skin in his sleep as if it was only a tickle.

Zzzzzz..gru….zzzz

Every once in awhile, Andvari would snort. Funny, I’d slept so deeply every night till now that the snores hadn’t bothered me. It was probably the injuries that kept me so deeply asleep. Before when it was just Greenie and I, I would startle awake at the smallest sounds. The dwarf's snores weren't the loudest, but they weren't the quietest either. Though Greenie and Crixus both hadn’t complained..

Andvari lay bare-chested atop the fire, wearing a pair of shorts that I hadn’t noticed under the long threadbare tunic, while the tunic was wrapped around his face like a ninja’s face covering. It was supposed to protect his hair and beard from the fire.

While dwarves themselves were fireproof, their hair was not. Andvari told me that in the legends, dwarves had hair made of leaping flames. I’d struggled to imagine Andvari with fire around his face instead of the messy hair and beard. But hearing his story made my heart beat quickly. Maybe someday, Andvari might evolve into a dwarf with flames for hair…

While I was busy fantasizing what Andvari might look like, Greenie had patted the top of the dwarf’s head and looked disappointed. Andvari didn’t appreciate that, smacking Greenie’s hand away.

Aroooooooooo!

Shivering as another howl thrums in the distance, I slowly blink my eyes awake. Maybe I should add some more firewood. Our fire was close to the entrance to let the smoke out, but Crixus used his own large body to block the small rocky opening.

I felt bad when he said that was the ‘least he could do’. Day by day, he seemed to be losing his happiness. But there was no choice.

That Wolf King kept interfering with our hunts.

Greenie and I had gone together to try and get more meat from the Ice Cavern, to no avail. There was always a wolf nearby, snout pressed to the ground, picking up a scent.

It was probably our scents they were looking for.

With 『Hide』and 『Evasive Manuevers』there was no way they would find us. I kept it activated at all times when we were outside the cave, long enough that both skills were upgraded to LV2. With just Greenie and I, there was less to worry about. No matter how badly Crixus wanted to come along in our foraging trips, I didn’t let him. It was too dangerous. There was no guarantee I would be able to completely cover the three of us with these skills the whole time we were outside. And what if the wolves ever caught us?

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Recently, I’d taught Greenie to climb trees, but Crixus? With that large body of his, it would take him too long to get good enough of a running start. Pitting the Minotaur against a pack of fast, rabid wolves? The odds looked even worse. He would be the first one to be eaten, no matter how strong he was.

Our lake, our only source of precious water aside from the occasional rain, was also off-limits. Wolves hung around there, making Greenie and I beat a hasty retreat.

The wolves were probably even now roaming around the lake tonight, taking their sweet time lapping up the water.

I think that before I’d put Andvari and Crixus under my skills, they’d left too much of their scents out in the open. After our battle, our blood dotted the ground. In the hurry to save Caïssa, I’d been too busy at that point to notice. That was probably what kept them so close by.

Circling around the lake when the wolves weren’t looking, Greenie and I were forced to gather water by dipping the wool cloth scraps in the lake and carrying the dripping fabric back to the cave. Sometimes, we would go back to reapply the clay on my wing. The clay seemed to be working. Every time the old clay got scraped off, it was stained a reddish color, losing the blue-green tint it had when it was first applied. My wound was closed up, but now it was a waiting game for my bones to set. After two weeks, everyone else’s wounds had healed up just fine..except for me...

It hadn’t rained for a long time.

And yesterday we’d eaten our last rat…

Howls ringing through the air make me shiver again. Murmuring, Greenie pulls me closer to his chest. Yeah, no, I wasn’t his teddy bear. 『Scent Detection』made whatever bloody meal Greenie had last eaten smell strongly enough to make me gag. Holding my breath helped somewhat.

Gently using my good wing to push myself out of Greenie’s arms, I stare at the grey ceiling above us.

I’d nixed the idea of using Andvari as bait. No matter how fireproof he was, blind, he couldn’t run. The Wolf King would devour him in seconds.

Soon, I was going to hunt that wolf down. As soon as I was free to fly, then we’ll see who’s the leader around here. That was my biggest close goal. If I killed the Wolf King, it would be like killing multiple birds with one stone. We would become stronger, the wolves wouldn’t bother us anymore, and we would secure a source of meat for a while.

Though I did miss that pink mystery meat in the Ice Cavern…It made me drool just thinking about it...

Orc meat, was it?

A dark shadow by the entrance of the cave moves, and I see Crixus sit up, blinking his eyes awake. White air billowed out of his nostrils, the chill in the air turning his warm breath into a mist.

May I have a moment?

Sure.

Flapping my wing helps me finally wedge myself free out of Greenie’s hold.

Crixus stares outside, into the darkness that was lit by the silvery light of one pale moon. Softly as to not wake the others, I hop up next to him.

I had that dream again.

The fights?

Yes. I never would have thought..

A long silence, with Crixus sucking in a breath.

Lady, I fought with sword and shield, with my bare hands. I remember the roars of the crowds as I took the heads of my enemies…There is no honor in killing for sport. Though I earned honor by killing for freedom..

A strange grinding noise, like rocks that were being ground against the other makes me peer around for the source.

It was Crixus, staring down at the ground while grinding his molars.

I look up at the dark shadow of the Minotaur, highlighted against the bright moon. The moon looked so close, almost as if it was bigger than this new world I’d woken up on.

…My happiness when I’d finally earned my freedom. I was so close. A few moments more, until I was back in the Plains. Where my Herd was..

Crixus waves his pale scarred shoulder stumps at me.

Without these, how do I fight? I cannot protect this Unkindness, my own Herd, without arms.

Sadly, I shake my head.

I don’t know…..

Crixus’ shoulders slump at my response.

I’m sorry Crixus..

Without speaking another word, he turns around and settles himself on the cold ground to sleep, using his mouth to hook a piece of cloth over his shoulders. It was a tiny cloth, on his huge frame, but it seemed to comfort him.

I’m sorry…

With my head back, I step back towards Greenie and lay next to him to sleep..

But..I couldn’t sleep. My head was spinning, trying to think of some way to cheer the poor Minotaur up. There was also the how I was going to take down the Wolf King and his pack.

The thoughts circle round and round in my head, faster than I’d ever flown, fast enough to make my brain feel heavy. So many things to do, and in such little time.

Not till the sun rises again, and Greenie and Andvari slowly begin to wake.

Good morning?

It morning!

Morning greetings, Lady.

Crixus, can I talk to you for a minute?

The Minotaur lowers his head to step out of the cave, stretching his back in the cool morning air, his spine popping. I followed him out as Greenie starts to stir the flames back to life with the butt of his spear.

About last night....Well...Crixus, here’s an idea. It’s just an idea, so you can think about it-

Stroking the tuft of white fur at my neck, I continued with the solution I’d thought up.

Why don’t you use your head?

Crixus’s head rears back, his thickly lashed eyes widening in surprise.

I mean, Crixus was smart. He’d been smart enough to suggest ways we could increase the security in our cave, by putting dry branches at the opening. He’d also been the one to suggest putting a lid on the hole. Surely he could come up with some traps to build while he was outside, right? Crixus didn’t seem to have any trouble using his long bull tongue and hooves to deftly get the grass to his mouth now, all civilized. The fruit of my agonizing led me to believe he could make something if he used his head like before.

Great idea, Esteemed Lady! I marvel at your brilliance! Truly, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before!!

Jumping to his feet, Crixus stamps his hooves.

But I haven’t said anything about setting traps yet. Why was this Minotaur getting all excited??

Wait-

I shall go practice, right away!

No- Crixus-

It was too late. The Minotaur goes stampeding out of our cave, tail waving behind him in excitement.