Everyone was hanging on S'haar's every word. "And then, what does this brave idiot of mine do? Does he pull out the weapon he's carrying that's more than capable of ending the fight? Does he run and hide, waiting for me to do the job he'd hired me for? No! After he lets himself get grabbed, he kicks the thug in the face! And he kicks him hard enough to get dropped and break his own foot!"

Almost everyone was laughing along with the exasperated tone in S'haar's voice and the self-satisfied grin on Jack's face. Jack was amazed at how comfortable he was becoming with all this. Not long ago, being the focus of a story like this would have made him want to die or disappear rather than face a laughing crowd, even one as small as this.

Maybe it was because he knew he'd already earned the respect of the people that now surrounded him and no longer had anything to prove to anyone. Or perhaps it was simply a new perspective, after having been through so many near-death experiences in such a short amount of time. Or maybe, just maybe, he'd just matured in the last few months. Whatever it was, he felt himself grinning and laughing along with the rest as S'haar described the brawl that seemed to have happened so long ago.

S'haar shook her head. "Anyway, it delayed the thug long enough for me to get a couple of good hits in. Then, old Mar'kon and his workers stepped in before the fight could escalate further, followed shortly by Lord A'ngles. That's the story of how our first visit to the village became so infamous."

Sare'en looked confused. After some prompting from Jack, she hesitantly spoke up. "But if you broke your foot back then, why didn't I hear more about it? It seems like you should have gone right home...or visited the healer, at the very least."

Jack smiled and shook his head. "This may surprise you, but I don't always choose the wisest course of action." Jack ignored S'haar's snort of derision and continued. "I fashioned a temporary set of crutches and took some medications to take the edge off the pain. We finished up what we'd come to the village to do, then headed home the next day."

S'haar laughed again. "Yeah, I remember that night. Probably more vividly than you do."

Looking over to Sare'en, S'haar winked. "Remind me to tell you another story sometime. One about why you need to watch out for Jack, if he's had too many pain medications."

That was finally enough to turn Jack's face that interesting shade of red again. "Hey now! That was just because it was you, and we were already starting to bond before then! Besides, I thought you said you forgave me for that night!"

S'haar smiled patiently. "I did forgive you. But that doesn't mean I can't still get a little revenge from time to time!"

Jack gave the warrior woman what was probably supposed to be an intimidating glare, though it lacked the effect he intended, since he had to tilt his face so far up to look her in the face. "That's precisely what it means! Haven't you ever heard the term 'forgive and forget?'"

S'haar shook her head. "No, I haven't. I'm assuming that's a human phrase, and one that won't get you out of trouble with me."

Jack looked like he thinking of arguing further, but that was when they caught up with Nala'ac, who'd been scouting ahead of the group. He was staring up a large tree with enough intensity that it silenced the friendly banter as everyone's eyes followed his gaze. Several deep gashes were apparent more than ten feet off the ground.

Jack couldn't help but verbalize his confusion. "What in the world did that?"

No one seemed forthcoming until Nala'ac spoke up. "Those were left by a wolgen. The good news is they aren't fresh. It happened at least a little before winter, if not longer ago."

Jack couldn't help but feel a sense of dread looking up at the claw marks. He remembered the conversation with S'haar where she'd told him wolgen were so dangerous that if one made its territory too close to the village, it usually took a team of argu'n hunters to kill it. Even then, they'd consider themselves lucky not to lose a hunter or two. "You know, whenever my people use the term 'good news,' it's usually because there is also some bad news that goes with it..."

Nala'ac nodded, then looked Jack in the eye. "Your people are very wise. The bad news is, this mark was left by a different beast than that one."

The hunter pointed to a different tree with marks at about the same height. If there was a difference, it was subtle enough that Jack couldn't tell what it was, but he wasn't the expert and knew well enough to trust the word of someone who made his living hunting in woods like these.

Turning to Nala'ac, Jack asked the question he was afraid to have answered. "What does it mean when there are marks from two different wolgen this close together?"

Nala'ac shook his head with a frown. "It means they're a mated pair."

-

Angela was trying to focus on helping Em'brel with her various projects to keep herself from counting the milliseconds since Jack and S'haar had left. The problem was that with Em'brel training at the moment, there just wasn't enough to keep her adequately distracted.

With Jack and S'haar gone and Em'brel, Lon'thul, and Ger'ron busy, the only one left for Angela to bother was Fea'en. The master woodworker was going over some of Em'brel's latest windmill plans. Angela hovered up to look just over her shoulder, earning a mild glare from the older woman. "What can I do for you, Dragon?"

The AI backed off a bit and smiled. "I was just wondering what you thought of the plans."

Fea'en closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and stretched her neck to the side before opening her eyes and looking at Angela. "Honestly, I don't completely understand what I'm looking at here. There are a lot of moving parts, and it's far more complex than anything I've ever seen before. I can offer a few suggestions on structural reinforcement here and there, but most of this is so far beyond my expertise, I don't know what else to say."

Angela nodded in understanding. "Well, I see what you mean, but whatever thoughts and ideas you have would be appreciated. For all the knowledge my databases offer me, you have a much more intimate understanding of this world's wood, along with its strengths and weaknesses."

Fea'en nodded sagely before cracking one eye open and fixing the AI with a stare. "Of course, I'll help where I can, but what say we talk about whatever it is that's really bothering you, Dragon?"

For all her intelligence, Angela had never been a good liar, but the AI tried anyway. Looking up and away, as though the ceiling had suddenly become fascinating enough to require an immediate inspection, she replied. "Um... What do you mean?"

The older woman huffed and sat down in her chair. "You've been flying around, hovering over the shoulder of anyone who so much as sets foot in this place since the moment Jack and S'haar left. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The jig was up, and Angela gave up any pretense with her own huff as she sat crosslegged at a level so she could comfortably 'look' Fea'en in the eyes. "Well, can you blame me? It's not like Jack has a stellar record for staying safe whenever he wanders off around here. He's almost died more times in the last few months than most people will in a lifetime. Honestly, he should be dead by now."

Fea'en nodded in agreement. "You're not wrong. But what would you have him do, hole up in here and never show his face outside until he dies of old age? That doesn't seem like something Jack would ever do."

Angela looked thoughtful. "Not willingly, anyway..."

At Fea'en's reproachful look, Angela back-peddled. "I never really considered holding him here against his will! Well, except that one time he went all one-man-army against an entire raider camp... But you can't hold that against me! It's no crazier than what he went and did!"

Fea'en eased her glare back a few degrees but kept a mildly accusatory gaze on the AI. "Maybe not, but the difference is what motivates your crazy. He was acting crazy to protect his family. You are acting crazy to protect yourself."

Angela couldn't let that one slide and stood up to stare down at the older woman. "Jack is my family! I would be protecting him just like he protected Em'brel!"

The older woman shrugged. "Listen, I'm not some wise wizard or all-powerful dragon, but it strikes me that if you have to stop someone from being themselves in order to protect them, what you are really protecting is yourself from your own fear of losing them."

Angela was so shocked at the other woman's words that her avatar froze in place as her system started analyzing her behaviors over the last few months.

Appearing not to notice, Fea'en continued. "Everything we do is a risk in this world, maybe more for some people than others, but my point stands. Any of us can die at any time. The key is to get as much out of the time we have as we are able. We have to be honest with who we are and what we want, in order to do that. To help our loved ones do that, we must let them do the same. Locking up your brother, or my granddaughter, for their safety would be about the same as killing them."

Angela finally resumed motion with a sigh. "You might be correct, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do. I witnessed my family's brutal death, and for a long time after that, it was just Jack and me. We never left each other's side, and I watched over him day and night. But now, for the first time since that day, he's often beyond my sight. What's worse is that it's always when he's at the greatest risk! So how am I supposed to just sit back and calmly wait for his return?"

Fea'en let loose a sigh similar to Angela's. "We do it because we have no choice in the matter. All we can do is have faith in them and hope they'll return to us safely. If they don't, at least we'll know they lived their best stories, and we helped them do it by supporting them along the way."

Angela looked down and nodded, doing her best to not count the milliseconds until Jack set up the transceiver again.

-

After the unsettling discovery a while ago, Jack was suddenly happy to have a few extra guards at his back. He'd also noticed the guards had each loosened their weapons, and his rifle was resting easily in his hands, rather than slung across his back like before, though, for safety, he still hadn't chambered the first round.

The forest seemed more oppressive than before. Despite the company, it reminded Jack of his lone trek through the woods in late winter. Shaking his head to clear the troubling thoughts, he looked over to S'haar, who seemed oddly at ease.

Sensing his attention, she looked back at him, waiting for him to organize his thoughts. Jack simply smiled and spared a chuckle for himself before responding to her unvoiced query. "You just don't get scared, do you?"

S'haar looked forward and walked silently for a moment before responding. "Oh, I get scared just like everyone else. It's just not life and death that scares me. Or at least, not my life and death."

Looking at Jack, who currently had a slight limp to his walk, her expression shifted . "On the other hand, your life and death terrify me. Especially when I'm not around. But as long as I'm by your side, if something does manage to kill you, it will only be because it got through me first. I suppose I take an odd comfort in that."

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Ok, there's a lot to unpack there, but I suppose I kind of understand what you're saying. I've gotten a bit used to you being around as well, so what say we both do our best to hang around for some time to come?"

S'haar nodded. "I suppose I could live with that."

Nala'ac worked his way back toward the two as a natural lull fell in the conversation. "It's starting to look like we're getting close to the village. I'm seeing plenty of signs of habitation in the area."

Jack was amazed at how the news seemed to somehow relieve him and stress him out at the same time. On the one hand, there was less of a chance of a wolgen attack. But, on the other hand, the task they'd come out here for was at hand. The future of their home could be decided one way or another in the next few hours.

It was a while before Jack started to notice any of the signs of habitation Nala'ac had mentioned, but eventually, even he could tell they were now walking on well-worn trails. The hunter fell in beside S'haar to speak with her. "I can tell these paths have been well used, but it's been some time. They look as though they've been neglected recently. Also, despite seeing signs of the occasional hunter, the evidence of foot traffic in the area seems more sparse than I would expect, given the village's supposed size."

S'haar nodded her acknowledgment, and Nala'ac sped up his pace to resume his scouting. Jack was furiously considering what problems might be waiting for them. Was the village empty? If so, was it due to raiders, or maybe the wolgen they'd seen signs of? If not, why were the signs of life so few and far between?

Shaking his head in frustration, Jack decided that ruminating on the problem before he had more evidence was pointless. All it would accomplish was to make him more paranoid and color his interpretation of any evidence they found to support his assumptions. Instead, it was best to approach the situation carefully but open-mindedly.

As the forest started thinning, they could just make out the walls of the village ahead. Jack called a halt so he could set up the transceiver. Sare'en handed out some jerky and water for everyone to snack on as he did so.

As soon as the transceiver was up and running, Angela's voice came out over Jack and S'haar's headsets. "Finally! I'm guessing you've arrived safely then?"

Jack hesitated before answering. "Well, we are on the outskirts of the village, if that's what you mean, but something's a little off."

Angel’s tone immediately became one of deep concern. "What do you mean, ‘off’?"

Jack closed his eyes and told himself to be patient with her. His sister was probably frustrated by her inability to do anything while stuck back at the ship. "Well, we're within sight of the walls, but the area looks neglected, as though there hasn't been nearly as much foot traffic around the village itself as we'd expect."

S'haar nodded. "Also, we found some old evidence of wolgen in the area. At least two of them."

Angela's voice was tense. "Alright, give me a moment to scan the surrounding area!"

After a few moments, her voice came back a little less stressed. "Well, I wish I had better sensors on the transceiver than I do, but I couldn't detect any life signs in the area larger than the occasional kovaack. As for the village, it isn't nearly as populated as S'haar's, but it's not abandoned, either."

S'haar looked over at Jack. "What do you think?"

Jack stopped and thought before sighing. "Well, the situation isn't quite what we expected, but I don't see any reason to turn around and leave, either, so let's proceed as planned. But keep both eyes open for anything else out of the ordinary. Remember, everyone's safety is the first priority. I want everyone going home after we're done here."

S'haar nodded. "I agree. Just make sure you're ready for trouble. And whatever happens, don't try and be a hero."

Jack smiled. "As already stated, these days, I'll happily hide behind my bodyguards!"

S'haar fixed him with a glare before uttering, "Uh-huh..." Then, without clarifying her thoughts on the subject, she stood up and began walking to the village.

Jack merely shrugged and followed after, with everyone else falling in behind the two of them.