Urgh.

Urgh.

Urgh.

Maybe If I keep my eyes closed for a bit longer, she will stop? It’s too damn early, even for me.

It was way too early to be going through this. How can somebody who barely functions in the morning have this much energy already?! She needs to make up her damn mind already!

I promised Cerila we would go hunting together this morning, but I didn’t think she would wake me up so early and so aggressively. She was purposely pressing down on my chest, making me grunt uncontrollably. At this rate, she is going to break my ribs.

I shot up quickly from bed, eliciting a surprised squeal from her as I forcefully wrapped my blanket around her upper body. She might be stronger than me, but I had the element of surprise.

I increased my grip and wrapped myself around my Cerila cocoon. She didn’t try fighting me for some reason, so I just laid there and attempted to get a few more minutes of sleep. Mmm, five more minutes, that's all I need.

As I was trying to fall asleep, the covers began to get much colder to the point a thin layer of frost began to spread over them. Then a freezing cold hand shot through the sheets and gripped my leg. I let out a yelp of surprise. Oh crap, that’s cold.

She burst out of the cover cocoon, and boy, did she not look happy with me. Cerila already had a fist-sized chunk of blue ice ready, and she didn’t even hesitate to throw it at my head. The ice chunk connected with my forehead, causing it to burst into fragments of snow that covered my body.

The snow was threatening to turn me into an icicle. I jumped around on my bed, trying to wipe all the snow and ice off me, much to Cerila’s enjoyment. She was just giggling at me while I danced around like a fool.

Well, at least I’m awake now.

I readied myself for our morning hunting trip. I gathered everything I would need to spend the next few hours in the jungle. Cerila was dressed in a more adventurous attire this morning than her usual dresses. Greens and browns were the cornerstones for hunting gear in the jungle.

She had on a dark green blouse along with brown riding pants. Cerila also had black knee-high boots to go along with it. She looked more like a princess about to go out for an early morning ride on her horse than a hunting trip. Of course, Mom made all her clothing besides the boots, so the quality was extremely high.

Then there was me.

I looked more like the bastard child of a bandit than a prince accompanying the princess. My brown and green pants and shirt were functional yet straightforward. However, across my entire outfit were clear signs of repair and usage. My shirt was also getting a little tight around the shoulders. All the random bits of leather covering my vitals and my makeshift Santhred scale knee and elbow pads didn’t help much with my fashion sense.

I’ve never felt so… inadequate before. But I’m not bitter about it or anything.

It was still a bit too early to head out, so instead of sulking, I decided just to warm up instead—no need to pull something before the fun began.

Dad signed to us as he walked outside.

I just glared daggers at Cerila, and she turned away and looked towards the sky as if something was interesting there.

he asked us.

I usually either go hunting with Dad, or I just go by myself. It seemed Cerila didn’t really have an interest in hunting, so she never asked. But a few days ago she asked if she could come with me the next time I went out, and I didn’t have a reason to deny her.

Even if we were attacked, Cerila is a competent mage, and it might even be safer with her around. I can only hear if monsters are coming, but Cerila can smell them coming from greater distances. She might even be able to help me find some prey. We should make for a good team.

I responded.

I asked.

I’d never crossed the protective threshold of the village wards before. Actually, I’ve never even seen the wards that protect the village, and I’ve spent nearly two whole years hunting in the jungle.

I signed.

Cerila signed.

Dad just smiled at us.

Hey… isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Cerila gave my Dad a fang-filled smile and two thumbs up.

Dad signed before walking away.

I was glad Dad trusted us enough to go out on our own. I technically should be safe within the village’s wards, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case.

It was nearly dawn as the day’s first rays of light began to peek out from the trees. I signed.

Cerila signed with a look of determination. Why was she so serious? It’s just another day in the jungle.

—

Well, so much for that look of determination.

It’s only been an hour, but Cerila’s confidence has taken a nosedive. Earlier, she seemed too ready to come out here but now… not so much.

Cerrila seems scared. Her eyes are darting around, constantly looking for something that’s not there. Maybe it’s because we are deeper in the jungle than usual? Sometimes we would go into the wilderness to play around, but we never went so far you couldn’t see the village.

Perhaps, it’s her first time being so far out? I wanted to let her sort out her own feelings, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch her be uncomfortable like this. So I stopped to check on her.

She signed with shaky hands and a fake smile.

I signed.

It was true that Cerila and I were more than capable of handling anything in this area of the jungle under normal circumstances. There wasn’t any animal or monster that would be able to get past my hearing or her sense of smell, and even if one did, we were both competent mages. Even if we couldn’t win the fight against whatever theoretical monster came at us, we could definitely escape or at least make enough noise to get somebody’s attention.

It seems my words didn’t do all that much to assuage her worries. So I’ll double down instead. I clasped her hands and guided them together in a sort of prayer formation. I gave her my best fearless smile and hoped that this would be enough to calm her down. It was awkward since I had to look up at Cerila since she has grown a bit taller recently. Of course, I’m still a short little kid.

But my gesture seemed to have gotten through to her as her hands stopped shaking and her anxious face softened just a little. Perhaps I need to employ some new tactics. I’d been more or less dragging her around the last hour in the jungle, leaving her to wonder in her own mind.

I’ve used this similar tactic many times in the past when soldiers were on the brink of being consumed by fear or anxiety. Giving them a simple task, no matter how menial or unimportant it seemed, would help them focus and clear the negative thoughts swirling around in their heads. Cerila might just need a little direction, is all.

I signed with one hand and a smile.

Cerila just looked at me, surprised for a bit, but she took a deep breath and then suddenly slapped her cheeks. I didn’t expect that, but whatever helps, I guess.

The look of determination was back on her face as she beamed a smile.

And find something she did.

Not even an hour later, Cerila had hunted down an entire group of Nekchics, there were about thirty of them in total, and they resembled giant chickens with green feathers. It was the perfect time to hunt these bad boys as they were in high demand before the rainy season hit in a few weeks.

They would sell for a great price in the market, and their meat was absolutely delicious. And with this many, I couldn’t miss if I tried. So Cerila and I split up in order to trap and kill as many of them as possible.

Cerila snuck around and would corral the group straight towards me into a kill zone. I waited for her signal on top of a nearby mound of dirt. She seemed embarrassed to tell me what the sign would be, so I didn’t want to be a bother and ask. It seemed like she was finally enjoying coming out here with me.

Then I heard the signal, and it sounded like a cross between a moan and screech. All the Nekchics heads snapped towards the noise. Cerila burst through the brush, making that noise while flapping her arms around like a bird.

I was laughing so hard that I almost forgot to start shooting the Nekchics that had begun flowing towards me in a panic. They were all racing to get away from the moaning Beastmen girl who came out of nowhere.

I made sure to aim for the middle of the pack as I sent arrow after arrow into them. It was one of the primary goals of a hunter in this jungle not to over hunt and depopulate a species. Aiming at the middle of the pack guaranteed that I wouldn’t kill the strongest and fastest of the Nekchics that would go on to breed more, and I wouldn’t kill the slowest at the back who would end up being sustenance for a predator.

In total, I managed to kill about ten of the fleeing Nekchics. Cerila hid in a cocoon of ice just in case one of my arrows went astray. I went over to it and gave it a few hard knocks to let her know everything was alright now. She might not be able to hear the sounds but she could at least feel the vibrations.

The ice began to disperse into a haze of blue crystals. Cerila’s ice magic really was beautiful. However, I wonder if she was making it look like this on purpose. I tried using ice magic, but I completely lacked an affinity for it again.

As the ice was whisked away into the breeze, it revealed a very embarrassed red faced Cerila. The image of her flapping around and making absurd noises made me laugh again. Rather than getting mad, it seemed I just made her even more embarrassed as her face got even redder as she tried to hide behind her hands.

I signed. My face was beginning to hurt from smiling so hard.

She signed aggressively, well, tried to at least.

Oh, no. There is no way I can tell her what she sounded like.

She was signing with one hand while covering her face with the other.

It looks like I’ll be taking this lie to the grave. I don’t have the strength to tell Cerila the truth. It’s a good thing nobody else is around. If Padraic was here, Cerila would never hear its end for as long as she lived.

I was about to ask her for help with the bodies, but I didn’t get the chance. Cerila must have seen it before I heard it. I flipped around, and one of the Nekchics had gotten back up and ran away.

Little shit, it was playing dead.

I unslung my bow and quickly notched an arrow, and took aim. The Nekchic was running straight for the mound of dirt I had been standing on. I let the arrow loose and watched it sail towards the wounded animal.

What the hell just happened?

I looked at Cerila to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the confusion on her face meant she probably saw what I did. My arrow and the Nekchic just disappeared.

Both of them collided with the dirt mound and vanished instantly. Even the sound of the Nekchics screeches ceased. My arrow didn’t make any impact noises either. Even if the arrow hit soft dirt, I would have heard something.

I heightened all my senses in an attempt to find anything that was amiss. But there was nothing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I couldn’t hear or see anything. I also didn’t feel anything.

I asked.

I see. So even Cerila can’t sense anything. It seems she is taking the whole slaughter of a bunch of animals just fine as well. I guess she isn’t a stranger to violence, but I wonder if her natural animal instincts have something to do with it. Well, that doesn’t matter right now. There is only one way to find out what’s going on.

I signed.

Cerila gave me a nod and dropped into a combat stance. There was no way we weren’t going to investigate the disappearing magical chicken. Also, Dad taught me it was cruel to let an animal suffer, and there was no way that thing would survive for long. So it was best to put it out of its misery.

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If this thing were dangerous, I figured magic would probably suit the situation better. I readied a fireball in my hand and moved forward towards the dirt mound with my hunting knife in the other. As I got close enough to the dirt wall, I could see the blood trail the Nekchic left. As soon as it hit the wall, it disappeared. I still couldn’t hear anything either. We made eye contact and pushed into what I thought was a solid wall.

But I simply moved through the wall as if it wasn’t there. Then, finally, I heard a noise and launched my fireball straight at it without a second thought. I could only watch as my fireball completely decimated the wounded Nekchic. Poor thing didn’t even have an opportunity to screech. Well, on the bright side, it died instantly.

But I couldn’t spare the unfortunate bird much time as I took in my surroundings. Just past the invisible dirt was a small cave and at its center was a giant gray boulder. It was the only thing in this cave besides the ashes of an unfortunate magical chicken.

The stone was at least seven feet tall and had glowing blue symbols on it. It actually kind of looked like a giant version of Cerila’s tablet. I walked toward it to get a better look at it. Upon closer inspection, it seemed I had no idea what was written on it. It wasn’t any language I was familiar with, but it was most certainly a language. The symbols were placed in lines and had a clear structure to them.

I asked Cerila.

That would make sense. I know the wards use Dwarven runes, so that would explain the unfamiliar language. Padraic also said runes take up a lot of space, so the size matches up.

But what was with the invisible wall? Was that some kind of illusion? It must have been since looking back, I could see the outside again. The illusion not only messed with my sight but my hearing as well. Maybe it even hindered Cerila’s sense of smell. That must mean a powerful mage cast that spell.

Cerila signed. She was holding a single turquoise feather.

I know what that is... Dad always told me stories about these birds. They were technically monsters, but they didn’t pose much of a threat. They were just really rare and hard to find.

The monster lived its entire life in the sky. It hunted, ate, and slept, all while flying. The only reason that thing would come down was to lay an egg. Nacut’s are super valuable, their feathers are sought after by nobles for their beauty, and the meat is a delicacy. So if we could get our hands on that thing… it would be a considerable profit.

The nest clearly wasn’t in here but it must be close by. There was no way that feather just got in here by chance. I think this ward and the illusion keep out animals and monsters alike, and the only reason that Nekchic ran in here was that it had nowhere else to go. Cerila sniffed the feather a few times.

I followed Cerila out of the cave and remembered I had some overgrown chickens to gather. I couldn’t leave them out here any longer, or it might attract monsters or stronger animals. I collected my kills and gave half of them to Cerila as I couldn’t have done it without her.

She ruffled her nose at me.

Fine, whatever you want, princess.

Cerila started heading deeper into the jungle, and I followed close behind her. I was the ears, and she was the nose. This bird had no idea what it was in for.

---

We walked for a little less than an hour, but according to Cerila, we were still a reasonable distance away. The jungle didn’t seem to change all that much, no matter what direction you went in.

I was also looking out for any more of those protective wards. Exploring more of them might be fun. But if they were all hidden as well as the first one, then I’d probably never find another one. The extent the village went to hide them showed just how important they were, and it explained why after two years, I’ve never even seen a single one.

I was lost in my thoughts as I watched Cerila track down the Nacut’s whereabouts, her ears and nose twitching around. We were walking side by side when suddenly, the feeling of a thousand ants crawling against my skin assaulted me. It was an absolutely horrible and disgusting feeling that went straight to my brain.

I guess Dad wasn’t joking around when he said we would know if we crossed the ward's threshold. But it seemed nothing changed, though. We were still in the same jungle, walking the same way we were before. Perhaps this feeling is what keeps animals and monsters out of the area, but I can only speculate.

Cerila looked at me expectantly. She asked.

We really should… I did promise, Dad. But then again, that Nacut was definitely worth the trouble. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. We’d just have to be quick about it.

I told her.

The rangers and hunters patrolled this part of the jungle. The last thing I wanted was to be caught by a squad of them and get reprimanded. I didn’t want to be a nuisance to the fantastic Captain Amber, after all.

She signed with a smile.

That settles it. Just a quick in and out. Nobody will be any the wiser.

—

We both decided the best way to cut down on time was to start jogging. The less time we spent beyond the wards the better it would be for everyone. It didn’t take long for Cerila to pinpoint the Nacut’s location.

Cerila signed.

This was the beauty and efficiency of Sign Language. We could get closer to our prey and still have perfect communication. Cerila pointed towards a hole in the side of a tree, and I focused on trying to hear anything. The tree was probably masking the sound, so I couldn’t make out anything, but I didn’t need to get closer.

I found a tree that should have a good vantage point on the nest. There was a branch that extended in just the right way that would allow me to see into the hole. After gaining my vantage point, I tried to see if the bird was active. After about five minutes of observing, I would occasionally see a blur of turquoise from the hole.

The monster was continually moving inside of the nest, making it impossible for me to take a shot with my bow. We also couldn’t wait out the bird since we had no idea how long it would take for it to leave. For all we know, it might be ready to stay there for days. What to do…

Wait. Why am I limiting myself to using my bow? I could easily just send a fireball into that tree and… yeah, that wasn’t going to work. Actually, even using an arrow would damage the monster’s feathers.

So how could I kill it with the least amount of damage done? I could see Cerila from my vantage point, she had her eyes closed and twitching side to side. I guess she is trying to think of something as well. Wait a minute, Cerila is the answer.

I can close the hole with a mound of dirt and have Cerila freeze the bird to death. That way, we wouldn’t damage the feathers, and we would be able to maintain the freshness of the meat. It was a win-win. I stared intently at Cerila to get her attention. She always seemed to be able to pick up on my gaze.

It only took a few seconds, but she looked over at me.

Nothing left to be said. I took a deep breath and began to concentrate. I only had one shot, so I had to get this right the first time, or this would all be for nothing. I would cover the hole with mud that would dry the second it hit the tree.

I went over every detail I wanted in the spell and even visualized how it would happen. Finally, I fed the spell core more than enough mana and set my mud ball flying. Perfect.

The spell acted precisely how I wanted it to, and soon as it connected with the hole, the mud began to dry. The Nacut didn’t even have time to react to the mud barrier, but it might not last for very long.

The bird monster was already thrashing around and making a ruckus as it screeched loudly. Thankfully, Cerila wasted no time in bounding up the tree towards the hole. She wasn’t the least bit hindered and made it look effortless.

I made sure to leave three small tubes in a triangle formation so Cerila could force the cold air into the hole using a single hand. I saw the burst of ice slam into the mud wall and assumed the deed was done.

I climbed up the tree next to Cerila and went to claim our prize. Of course, I made sure to listen just in case it was still alive, but all I could hear was the twinkling and crackling of ice crystals.

I gave Cerila a nod and kept my knife ready just to be extra safe. I turned the mud wall into the sand and let it fall to the ground, and what awaited me was more than I expected. A sizable tropical bird with bright turquoise feathers was frozen solid. It was stuck in a pose of it still being mid-flight. I couldn’t see any eggs, but the job was done, and it couldn’t have gone better.

I signed.

She proudly signed back as her tail began to sway back and forth.

I reached for the ice statue, and the second I touched it… it broke into dozens of chunks. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

I could only laugh at the absurdity of it all. I guess Cerila’s never controlled her spell like that before, so I really couldn’t blame her. It kind of sucked that we wouldn’t get anything out of it, but it was fun. However, Cerila didn’t seem to find it very funny. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry.

We both scampered down the tree, and I asked her.

I cut her off before she could finish her self-deprecation spiral.

I assured her.

She signed with a smile.

Good, no need to be down about something so trivial. A frown didn’t suit her anyway.

The less time spent here, the better. We made it back roughly where the threshold for the ward was, nobody was around, and we didn’t run into any monsters. Well, all’s well that ends well.

We crossed the threshold once again, and the same skin-crawling sensation assaulted our minds. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that. It's not anywhere near as bad moving through warp space, but it has its own kind of displeasure. Cerila seemed just as put off by the sensation as she rubbed her arms like she was cold.

“Hello, Kaladin, Cerila. It’s good to see you two,” a familiar sing-song voice called out to us.

Oh, crap.

“Hello, Sgt. Meus, fancy meeting you out here today.” I said as friendly as possible.

This was the worst-case scenario. I hadn’t even noticed her.

“Is your Dad with you?” Sgt. Meus asked us.

“Well, uh… no. He isn’t.” There was no reason to lie to her. After all, I was thankful to Sgt. Meus for helping with Cerila.

“That’s not good. I’m sure your father told you not to go past the barrier?” she said with a smile. However, the smile didn’t seem all that happy.

“Yes…” I responded dejectedly.

“You know I have to tell your parents, right?”

“Anything but that, please,” I begged. I’d pay any fine or do whatever she wanted.

Sgt. Meus seemed a bit surprised at my outburst. “Never thought I would see you like this but… I don’t have a choice. I’m not alone, sadly. Not that I would have let you go anyways. You must understand that beyond the wards is dangerous. All it takes is a single mistake, and you might not have made it back in one piece. And I couldn’t sleep at night if I knew that you did this again and something happened because I didn’t tell your parents.”

I wanted to object, but she was right. I didn’t have anything else to say. Mistakes were made.

After being escorted home, the subsequent grilling Cerila and I received was rough. Dad and Mom were not happy.

“You did the one thing I asked you not to do. The one thing Kaladin. You could have gone anywhere or even come back home to get me, and we could have gone out together to hunt. I would have been more than happy to hunt a Nacut with you and Cerila. You even promised me, Kal…”

Not only was Dad not happy, he seemed more disappointed than anything, and that hurt more than I could have ever expected.

“I’m sorry…” I said weakley.

I had nothing. I made a mistake, and I know I did. What was the point of making a promise if I didn’t keep it? Especially if I went back on it purposely.

I pretended like my promise meant nothing. Not only did it get me in trouble, but it hurt Mom and Dad. The disappointed looks both of them were giving me hurt more than any plasma round ever could.

I felt utterly defeated and downright miserable. Mom was giving Cerila a piece of her mind, but I couldn’t focus on their conversation. I was too busy staring at the floor in shame.

Dad just sighed. “Something has to be done about this, Kal. You and Cerila broke your promises and put yourselves in danger. I thought you understood just how dangerous the jungle could be. You got lucky this time, but anything could have happened.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

This wasn’t like the last few times doing something objectively wrong. I had no moral high ground to stand on. I didn’t break the rules or my promise in good faith to help someone else this time.

No, the only thing I did this time around was tarnish my parents' trust in me. The only thing I could do now was accept whatever punishment my parents sent my way.

“Three weeks, no hunting with or without me. No study groups with Padraic either for the entire three weeks. You and Cerila will be splitting all the chores 50/50 for the next three weeks.”

Well, that’s reasonable… maybe even a little light on the punishment, honestly. But that was just from Dad.

“Also, no lessons with Grandpa for that entire time,” Mom chimed in.

Now that was going to suck.

Mom really knows where to hurt me. I could easily go three weeks with Dad’s punishment. I mean, not seeing Padraic for three weeks would suck, but it’s not the end of the world. But three weeks with no magic training, that hurts. But I could hardly complain.

my mother signed.

Dad added.

Even though Cerila seemed just as despondent as me right now, it looks like Mom broke her even further. Her eyes had glazed over, and she looked like she didn't even have the strength to cry.

But was not staying in the same bed as me for three weeks really that much of a punishment? It seems more like an upside for Mom…

The extra challenge to Dad’s training didn’t bode well for us either. And having Cerila wake up early every day for three weeks was probably a threat to all of our livelihoods. I imagine she might murder us before she gets over her morning grogginess.

—

Attempting to fall asleep after all this today was a challenge in and of itself. I felt so awful that I couldn’t shut my brain off to fall asleep. Today sucked, and it was all my fault.

I deserved to feel like this and I sort of wish my punishments were harsher. Making and keeping promises was important to me, and today I fundamentally broke down what I strived for, keeping promises.

I never want to feel like this again. I’m so stupid. I’m frustrated and disappointed in myself. And now I’m incredibly thirsty to boot. Gah, this is the worst.

Rather than sulking any longer, I rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen to get some water. It was at times like this that I wished I could use water magic, even if just a little. Having water on command would be so convenient.

It was midnight at this point, so I was a little surprised I heard someone rummaging around in the kitchen. I poked my head into the kitchen, half expecting Cerila, but when I saw Mom, I was surprised.

Somehow it seemed she didn’t hear me coming either as she shook a bit in surprise when I got closer. I could hear her audibly swallow something as she turned around to face me. There were bread crumbs all over her face and silver nightgown.

“What are you doing up so late, sweety?”

“Uh, just getting water, Mom.”

Mom was smiling at me but I sort of felt like I was in danger. But I was more confused than anything. Why was she up so late eating bread?

“Go get some water, then go to bed. Goodnight, sweety.”

Mom left without me even getting a chance to say anything else. She was acting kind of odd, if I’m being honest. Maybe she is still mad at me from earlier today, I guess it’s my fault. But the bread?

I walked over to where we kept the bread and opened it. After our stargazing session a few weeks ago, I bought a loaf of sweet bread and promptly enjoyed eating it by myself. I forgot how wonderful it tasted and bought another loaf of the stuff yesterday, but now it was… all gone.

Did Mom actually eat an entire loaf of sweetbread in one go? I don’t think Cerila could even do that if she tried.

I was so rattled that it put all my negative emotions from earlier to the back of my mind. I got myself a glass of water and fell asleep shortly after thinking what the heck was wrong with Mom.