As the horses and their riders returned up the road from where they came, Natalie and Shannon followed their path. With the sun sitting at its highest point, the ended up passing by a property on the south side of the road. There, they could see a few tents that were set up, as well as horses, cows, and people all milling about the area. They also saw what had to be Eugene strolling around, looking quite mad. Wondering about this group, and how secure it was, Nat sent energy throughout her eyes to both zoom in and see the energy inside of people. However, all she saw was a field of green, as every person there had appeared to have bonded to an animal of some sorts. Not surprising of a development, given what she saw of the people that had come out to meet them.

After they passed the property and turned northwards once more, Shannon finally opened her mouth, "So Nat, why did you act that way? They seemed like pretty decent people from what I could see." Shannon just could not wrap her head around what had changed her lover's approach to people. She had always been about helping people before. She was sure that Nat would have at least gone and talked to find things out if she could.

"Because I did not feel that it would end up nicely, still might not. I can't trust them that easily, and nor could they trust us. We would have been outsiders for the time we were there, and possibly be forced to do things to 'earn our keep'. That, and I wasn't wanting to force you into being around people again." She paused for a minute thinking, then took Shannon's hand. Looking at her lover's face, Nat saw that Shannon was trying to make sense of her actions. They were kind and respectful the entire time, save that one asshole. To show where her doubts came from, she asked her girlfriend a pointed question, "As for why I did not want to trust them, look back at Lethbridge. Did the council seem kind, respectful, and trusting to the general populace?"

That one question hit Shannon like a brick. The group of people that took control in Lethbridge had been organizing defenses and food rationing, and were outwardly doing everything to protect and serve the people. Unknowing to everyone else, they were abducting people and raping them repeatedly. They were showing a mask to everyone they interacted with, so as to get away with doing as they pleased to innocent people. She herself had been grabbed in her sleep, and was stolen away with in the middle of the night by a bunch of their boded monsters. If it wasn't for Natalie coming in and wrecking everything they set up, she and others would be stuck there unable to do a thing against the council that was hiding them away. So sure, everything here looked great, but that was only on the surface. Everyone had their secrets, and what were the ones sitting underneath all of this.

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The whole reason that Nat had acted that way was to protect her. There was no way to know how they acted inside their compound, and among their friends and family, let alone behind closed doors. As she realized how far into it that Nat had thought ahead, even if it was potentially grossly exaggerated, Shannon felt comfort and safety. Here, right beside her, was a person that would do anything to protect those she cared about, even if it means she cannot save any others along the way. The fact that such a person was watching out for her, filled her with both gratitude and indignation. She was happy that she was being watched over, but she was also upset with herself for having needed the help.

Nat noticed that Shannon was in thought, and as her lover's face darkened, realized that she needed to do something. Stopping where they were, Nat quickly pulled Shannon into an embrace. She knew that it wouldn't be enough to combat whatever she was thinking, but she hoped it would help. After a few minutes of just standing there hugging, they separated and took one look at each other's faces. While Shannon's face was still a bit dark, her eyes were incredibly focused. She was burning with a desire for something, and while Nat did not know or need to know what that was, she was glad that her lover was able to continue moving forward. As for Shannon, she saw that Nat's face was happy, but also full of worry. Was it due to her working past the events that they had overcome? Or was it worry for what path she may travel down? Either way, Shannon pledged to herself to do everything she could to hold this angel close to her, and never let her go. After all, next time she would even the debt, and be the one protecting instead.

The rest of the day was lackluster, and they made good time down Highway 791, before just going straight down Range Road 280. All three of the canines that they had travelled with before came back out once the compound was out of sight, and talked nothing but smack of Eugene for the first five minutes. The severity of their words caused Nat and Shan to laugh, bringing back a semblance of happiness to both of their faces. As the sun started to drop in the sky, they stopped and started to set up camp at a small farm property. Canines came out and played, while others ate food that Shannon cooked. All the while Kali, Scout, Maia, and Natalie suffered their way through the exercise plan that Shannon had devised. The circulation of energy through her body helped a little, but it mainly just dimmed the burn that Nat felt while she was going through the strenuous motions. The whole time, not one of them realized that they had been followed.