"Whoa! I-I want to get back in the tunnel!" Aidan complained while rubbing the princess' slender arms. The world of man-made caverns was changed to one of pure white forests.

"No can do, your Highness. We are low on supplies, we need to make it to the next town tomorrow."

Sora was in front, carrying two bags slung over her shoulders and with the bow nocked. Aidan had no luggage to carry but his own body, dragging it behind in the improvised stretcher. Lumina's cloak was slung over him and the boy's arm was hung up and the hand-tied inside a slit in Lumina's dress touching the girl's back. Sometimes a draft of air would enter underneath the tunnel causing him to complain. But at least they could travel and cultivate at the same time.

Sora! Stop calling me that. Lumina is the princess, not me. And we are supposed to be laying low!" Protested the boy in the princess' body.

"Ok. How should I call you then?"

"Dawn. Call me dawn. I have a feeling Lumina liked that name." Aidan felt a warmth within himself when he pronounced Lumina's new alias.

"Speaking of which, did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"You sometimes slip some genuine Lumina into your act, 'Dawn'."

"Maybe the princess is waking up. But I think I'd need a whole week of close contact to fill her monstrous mana pool."

These two days spent in the tunnel mouth resting were profitable. Lumina recharged more mana than the entire previous month they spent at the inn with Claire. Of course, the maid would never allow that shameful naked contact. And Aidan learned a new trick to reduce the mess when relieving the princess' body. He still shudders to remember how friendly Sora was when she taught him.

 They continued through the sparse woods and rocky terrain for a couple of hours when Sora ordered him to stop.

"There is smoke coming up ahead. Maybe a camp or some habitation."

Meeting people was troublesome. People were less prone to sharing during winter, they were two maidens traveling with a comatose boy in tow and fugitives.

"Can we avoid them?"

"It would take too long to go around. These rock formations don't let too many paths open and we could get stuck in a dead end. I could climb, but you two..."

'Damn sheltered princess life' thought Aidan. 'And I get the feeling Lumina really wanted to go on adventures'.

"Ahead then. There is no choice. If only Skippy was with us." Aidan looked up and behind. The tunnel went under a few hills and the terrain was rough. Even for a flying dragon, it was a hazardous crossing.

"The critter is resourceful. I'm sure he is catching up very soon."

In fact, there was nothing that the little dragon could not either evade or scorch in these hills. The girls were not too worried about his safety and now with Aidan above ground, it would give him a bearing to follow.

They walked for some time until they reached the source of the smoke, a hunter's cabin. Sharpened pieces of wood were planted all around the cabin except for the entrance to the porch, making it very uninviting. Some animal pelts were drying on racks or stretched in frames. Sora and Dawn were pondering if they should announce themselves or sneak away when the door was thrown open. A burly messy and savage-looking man came through the door frame and looked at them. He had a battered throwing hatchet on his hand. his lips were barely visible underneath the tangled mess his beard was.

"Uh, Hello there!" Sora smiled at him but did not let go of her bow, the arrow nocked and firmly held in her hand. She could take a shot before the hatchet reached them.

"What are you girls doing out here in the dead of winter? Are you hunters? Did you get one wounded there?" He asked. The arm holding the hatchet was relaxed but Sora was sure the weapon could fly with a flick of that strong arm.

"Just going back to town, we were hiking in the hills. We have no one wounded here." Sora lied. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Those are legs coming out of the lass in the back's cloak. And since she is standing on her own, them belongs to someone you are dragging." The man's accent was thick and his pronunciation slurry. It made Aidan reassured they were not in Yutis anymore.

"How far is it to town, kind sir?" Sora tried to change the subject. The man noticed and took a step forward. Sora's hand twitched on the bowstring.

"Too far. You are not going to make it before nightfall. Come inside, you can spend the night in the living room. It has a hearth and no lack of firewood. And dinner is wolf soup."

It was a difficult decision. The soup and a warm place to rest were enticing, but they were two maidens and would be vulnerable inside the cabin. The man was a hulking brute with no manners and only a faint sense of personal hygiene. The whole area around the cabin smelled of dried blood and meat. Sora couldn't even turn around to look at Aidan to see if they could reach a non-verbal agreement. Talking in front of the man could anger him.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Aidan took the initiative and broke the silence. "I'm sorry but we will have to decline your kind offer, sir. We will make haste and reach the town before nightfall. We are grateful for your advice."

Sora bowed and they began to walk past the cabin. She kept the man in the corner of her eyes but it meant she couldn't hide her suspicion.

"Hey, ladies. Please wait. I mean no harm. Just stay a while, let's trade stories and share some soup." It only made Aidan hasten his pace. "Wait! I have a niece in town, she is a fair maiden just like you. I mean no harm, please wait!" The man smiled and revealed a set of jagged ruined teeth. The sight creped out Aidan and he yelped.

Sora and Dawn's heartbeats soared. A fire ran in their veins and they went as fast as the terrain and snow allowed. Sora was frequently glancing behind them, but there was no sign that the man was following them. But he was a veteran hunter. He could be stalking them and they would not notice. Especially given their frightened state of mind.

A few minutes later they stopped to catch their breath. Dawn was almost fainting, her legs on fire.

"Do you think he followed us?" Aidan spoke between breaths. 

"I guess not. It would be really bad if he did. I know I shouldn't judge him by his appearance, but..."

"He made an offer, we declined, end of story." Aidan declared. "I can walk now. Let's hurry to town."

 They resumed walking and went downhill for a couple of hours when Sora signaled to halt.

"We are being watched." She warned. "I think we are in the wolves' territory." She sniffed.

Aidan remained quiet. Sora perked her ears and tried to pick some sound. Tense moments passed and she heard the pitter-patter of claws clapping over the rocks. She drew her bowstring and Aidan looked around frantically trying to see something. Anything.

A snarl and a growl came from behind them and Sora let the arrow fly. As the wolf pained cry filled the silence the beastkin girl was already shooting another arrow at a grey blur that dashed out of the woods.

"Swords!" She cried as she dropped the bow and drew her blade. Aidan didn't draw, however. He began chanting a fire spell.

Half dozen angry and starving wolves showed themselves. Sora walked closer to Dawn to protect Aidan's body. Wisps of fire gathered around the other girl's hands.

"Cover my right!" Dawn shouted. Three wolves leaped and ran downhill straight at the princess. Aidan held the complete spell and fought against his fear to keep the concentration. When the wolves entered range they met the finished the casting.

"Blaze!"

A cone of flames erupted from her stretched palm and burned the wolves. Panicked, they scattered and ran away, the fur on most of their body burned out and the skin blistering.

Aidan started casting a quick firebolt and Sora slashed at two wolves that came from her side. She was sure these wolves had fought people before. They flinched and almost dodged her swing. 

The sixth wolf didn't attack. He watched the exchange and howled. Four new wolves came from behind him while Sora and Dawn finished the two that didn't run away.

"Stop wasting mana!" Sora yelled at Dawn.

"I'm fine. It is better than getting an infection from a wolf bite." She looked at the alpha wolf. "More incoming!"

A war shout came from behind the wolves and a hatchet grazed the alpha's flank, leaving a dire gash. At the same time a sharp roar came from above and Skippy dove over the girls, strafing the alpha, the four new wolves and whatever was behind them with his fire breath. Despite its diminutive size, Skippy was a true dragon.

The wolves took the fire breath head on and ran on fire. Dragon fire was magical, burned even on water, lasted longer and took a lot of effort to quench. The dragon had some control and could will the flames to stop burning.

The screams of a man came from behind the wolves. Aidan froze and called out for her allies.

"Sora, I think Skippy got someone behind the wolves. Skippy, come here boy!"

Sora sheathed her sword and picked up the bow, nocking a new arrow. With large strides, she went uphill to check. Skippy circled around and dove on Dawn's cloak.

"Dawn, come over here, this is bad! Tell Skippy to quench his fire!"

Aidan undid the knots holding the stretcher to the harness and commanded Skippy before running to Sora's side.

"Skippy, cancel your fire and watch over my body. Don't leave here."

The dragon nodded and gargled. Aidan reached Sora and saw the same grizzled hunter they left behind with his face and front badly burnt.

"He was indeed following us? How bad is it?"

"Still breathing, but he is too burnt. We need to give him a healing potion." Sora grimaced both at the man's condition and at the cost of a healing potion. They only had the few coins the innkeeper gave them and it would be expensive to replace it.

"I saw a hatchet thrown at the alpha wolf. Sora, I think we wronged this man. He was indeed trying to look out for us. Here, use this potion."

Aidan took a potion from his belt and passed it to Sora. She uncorked and placed her finger over the mouth of the vial. With practiced movements, she sprinkled the potion over his face, chest, and arms. She saved half of the potion and put it on the man's mouth. A healing potion worked only after it got past a living creature's outer skin. It could be administered directly on a wound or orally.

Some of the worse burns healed and scabbed. It would leave a bad scar unless a high-quality potion or advanced healing magic were used. Both out of reach for some lonely huntsman in the outskirts of nowhere.

"We need to get help. He mentioned a niece in town. The guards at the gate should know him, you hurry there and bring help. I'll stay here with Skippy and protect him."

"It will be already night when I return with help if I can find any. I won't be able to find the way back in the dark."

Aidan walked back until he was in earshot to his dragon familiar.

"Skippy, are we closer to town or the hunter's cabin?"

The dragon tilted his head, puzzled. He croaked.

"There is a town that way and a hunter's cabin back from where we came uphill. Which one is nearer? Could you fly over and check?"

Skippy nodded and took flight.

Aidan dragged his body next to the hunter, but not within arms reach. All evidence pointed at the man helping them, but he could've missed the throw and hit the wolf by mistake.

A quarter of an hour later Skippy returned. It pointed at the cabin.

"There is one problem, the cabin is uphill. We will need to drag two unconscious men there..." Sora cut her train of thought and then facepalmed. "Dawn, write a message to the guards. Make Skippy deliver it.

"What is the name of the town?" Aidan asked taking his writing supplies from his pack at Sora's back.

"Elmhill if I am not mistaken."

> To Elmhill guard.

>

>  

>

> We found a hunter that lives in a cabin in the hills to the west and he is badly wounded. He should have a niece in town. Please follow the bearer of this letter to find us. Bring help.

>

>  

He tied the letter with a piece of string and handed the tube to the dragon that clutched it with his front claws and soared east. Aidan sighed and sat on a rock.

"Now we wait."