Guinevere opened her eyes to find herself hidden in a thicket. I'm alive…? Her aching torso had been wrapped by large leaves binded in place with vines. The injured fairy dragoness smiled, amused. Not the most effective way to stop bleeding, but it'll do. Her antennae lifted as usual as she tried to place herself. She wasn't too far from the scene of the fight, but what astonished her was the fact that the poison type was nearby. At this point it was evening, nearing night. What is he still doing here?

She carefully got to her paws and stepped out of the shelter, spotting him keeping watch. “Gale?”

He jumped, immediately facing her. “You're awake! Are you alright?”

“I will be… The bite wasn't fatal, thanks to you. You have my gratitude.”

“Heh. It's the least I can do after you let me nap in your territory,” he brushed it off.

Guinevere paused. There were dark bags under his eyes, and once again she felt just how exhausted he was. Chances are he hadn't slept since they had first met that morning–and even then it had been for a half hour; who knew how long he had gone without sleep until that point. Her gaze then traveled down the fresh wounds from the fight earlier, although none of them were serious. She was impressed that he had cleaned them nicely, too. “Why did you save me?”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

He blinked. “What?”

“You were in no condition to fight… let alone on behalf of a stranger.”

Gale opened his mouth as if to oppose that notion, then closed it and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Yeah. I really need a break, if I'm honest,” he chuckled half-heartedly.

“I don't understand your motives.”

He shrugged. “I just hate dragons who think they own any territory they travel to.”

She sat, taking this in. “And what does that have to do with rescuing me?”

One of his brow ridges rose. “Did you not want me to rescue you?”

“I appreciate that you did. However, if that were truly the way I was fated to die, why step in?”

“Fate?” His eyes darkened, and the corners of his mouth dropped into a more serious frown. “I don't believe in that. If it does exist, it's cruel beyond reason.”

I can feel a deep sense of loss emanating from him… Guinevere shook her head. “I don't know what you've been through… but fairy dragons and other smaller types are preyed on more often than you'd think. As much as I wish it weren't so, it is nature… and it's nobody’s place to disrupt natural order.”

“Being natural doesn't necessarily make something right,” he stated as a matter of fact.

Guinevere gaped at him, that one simple sentence leading her to question everything she lived by.

Then he couldn't suppress a yawn, and lowered himself to the ground. “Sorry… I'm not sure I can stay awake much longer. Will you be alright if I sleep…?”

After a beat to get her thoughts in order, she nodded. “Stay and rest as long as you need to.”