Mona brushed past the last of the ferns ahead of her and stepped foot into the clearing. The flickering flames of the rebuilt campfire caught her attention first, a pile of branches and small logs laying beside it as firewood. The folding grill tray hovered over it, flames licking at the metal as the thin legs kept it up over the wood. Mo then looked to the tent that was built not too far away only to bite back a groan.
The tent was of good quality, sure, the leather sturdy enough to keep them dry and warm through any rough weather. What was concerning, however, was its size. It was big enough for two bedrolls, but not much else. Fitting more than themselves and their equipment would probably be near impossible. It was then as she stared at the tent that its flaps opened and Eurwen walked out, stretching her arms above her head before grinning at Mo.
“Ah, good, you got the fish! I found a rock we can prepare them on,” The Elf motioned toward the flat-top boulder she’d set beside the fire.
“I thought you said you’d buy camping supplies for two? We’re going to be rather close if we’re both sleeping in there.” Mona pointed to the tent as she spoke, raising an eyebrow toward the other in question.
Eurwen’s freckled cheeks started to redden and she looked to the ground, rubbing the back of her head. “Ah, that… Well, according to the merchant I bought it from, it was the only one they had that could fit two.”
Mo quietly groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and rubbing her face with her free hand. She knew going into this job that she’d likely be sleeping next to a stranger, but she’d thought with Eurwen’s money they would at least be sleeping in a tent with some distance between them. Now she had to practically sleep hip to hip with the strange woman. At least they wouldn’t be sharing a bedroll.
“Fine,” Mona sighed, walking up to the boulder Eurwen had placed by the fire and pulling one of the fish out of the net and onto the stone. She then pulled her dagger from her belt and went to work, first slicing through the spine with her blade to kill it before starting to cut into it behind the gills.
“Oh, uh… You must have done that quite a few times, huh?” Eurwen mumbled, watching as Mo skillfully glided her knife along the fish’s backbone to separate half of its body. She then opened the flap she created and continued to pull the knife through, effectively slicing the meat off of the skin.
“I have. With plenty of animals,” Mo said with a monotone voice, clearly focused on preparing the food rather than talking. She removed the ribcage from the fillet and set it to the side before flipping over what was left of the fish and repeating the process.
“Right…” Eurwen stood there for a few moments more, simply watching Mona work before sitting down on the other side of the rock. She lifted her half-cape and began rummaging through her Bottomless Bag, eventually pulling out what she’d been looking for. “Here,” she said quietly before placing four metal skewers onto the rock. They had wooden handles and the long, thin iron rods all ended at a point.
“Thank you,” Mona mumbled, fitting each fillet onto the end of one of them as she finished them. After a while, she had a fillet on each of them and began placing them onto the grill one by one, each sizzling when making contact with the hot metal. She then tossed the remains of the fish off into the bushes before settling down fully beside the fire.
It was silent for a few moments as the two simply stared at the fish while it cooked. Mo couldn’t help but feel a slight frustration at the awkward air that seemed so common between them. There were so many questions she had, and yet those questions were the ones Eurwen didn’t want to answer. She wasn’t all too eager to talk about herself, either. Even though the other had saved her from something already, she still found it somewhat hard to trust her.
“So…” Eurwen muttered, drawing out the word. The elven woman was tapping her toe at a steady pace, looking up at the sky. Mo followed her gaze, noticing how the sunset cast a glow behind the thick clouds that were gathering over the gradient of pinks, oranges, and purples. Another breeze blew past them and Mona could smell the cooking fish, the burning wood, distant blood, and the slight smell of humid air warning of a change in weather.
“It’s going to rain soon,” She announced, turning the fillets to cook further before pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. “It’ll probably start after the sun’s about gone.”
“How do you know that?” Eurwen asked with a slight tilt of her head, continuing to stare up at the clouds. “They look somewhat dark, but I thought it was from the light behind them.”
“I can smell it in the air,” Mo mumbled, looking into the fire as the orange flames flickered with light and lapped at the fish as it cooked.
“You can smell it?”
“Of course,” Mona turned her head to look at Eurwen only to see that she was looking at her as well, expectantly and with an intrigued expression. The light bounced off of the Elf’s deep brown eyes, making them look almost as if they were speckled with gold. Mo quickly looked back toward the fire, a shy blush beginning to inch its way into her face. She tried to convince herself it was from the heat of the fire and nothing else. “Beastfolk have acute senses,” she muttered, “So it’s not unusual to smell the rain in the wind.”
“I didn’t know that! Well, at the very least I didn’t know that Beastfolk’s senses were that strong!” Eurwen smiled at her, that same beaming smile that seemed to come to her lips so often. “I hadn’t met many other races before I started to travel.”
“Weren’t you taught stuff like that at one of your Elven schools down south?” Mo asked, one of her feline ears twitching as she listened for the other’s response.
“I didn’t exactly go through the normal routes of education.”
“Is that right?” Mona began to mess with the fillets on the fire, checking whether or not they were ready to be eaten. “I thought education was one of the things Elves prided themselves on.”
“Oh, it is. My circumstances growing up were just… Complicated.”
“Complicated?” Mo looked to Eurwen with a raised eyebrow, hoping the woman would elaborate. Eurwen was staring up at the sky again, though her smile was gone and her brows were creased with a mixture of concern and sadness. Realizing that she wasn’t going to speak on it further, Mo simply sighed and looked back to the fish.
Once satisfied with how much they’d cooked, Mo pulled the fillets off of the fire and handed two of them to Eurwen. The Elven woman took them gratefully, blowing at one of them before biting into it. Mona did the same with one of her own, the two both eating silently. The bass wasn’t very flavorful, mostly tasting like water and somewhat bland meat. The charr from the grill did add something more to it, however, and the taste of campfire-cooked food felt almost nostalgic to Mo.
“You know,” Eurwen started, having already finished one of her fillets. “I’m really glad you came along after all.”
“Glad to have someone cook for you?” Mo mumbled with a small smile, watching as the Elven woman snapped her head to look at her. She watched as Eurwen’s freckles started to blend in with the bright red blush of embarrassment that grew on her face.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant, n-not at all!” she insisted, clearing her throat and looking away with a shyness that Mo couldn’t help but laugh at. Seeing the woman’s confidence crumble at one simple teasing line was amusing. “At least, that’s not all of it, I just meant… I’m glad to have someone to travel with again. Not to mention your skills have already been a big help.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Mona was the one blushing now, looking away from Eurwen and shaking her head. “I’m just a hunter with some experiences under my belt, that’s all.” She quickly ate her last few bites of fish, setting her two empty skewers onto the rock between them.
“I doubt you were ever ‘just a hunter’, Mo,” Eurwen replied, pulling some of the fish off of her skewer. “But, regardless, I’m grateful that you’d be willing to help me. I need to get into that burial tomb and, if you really can get the door open, I wouldn’t be able to thank you enough.”
Mona hesitated, glancing over her companion’s face. Everything about her expression seemed genuine, from her small smile to the way her brows lifted. She looked back into the campfire, unable to stop herself from asking another question that’s been nagging at her. “Why is it so important to you to get in there?”
Eurwen glanced at her as she asked this soft-spoken question. “... There are several different reasons, really, but to keep it short… It’s what I was asked to do. To find it, get inside, and understand… Something.”
“Something?” Mo muttered, meeting her eyes. Now Eurwen was the one to look away. “I know you said you weren’t sure what the inside was like, but do you not even know what you’re looking for?”
“I didn’t say that, I meant-” Eurwen then let out a soft squeak as a drop of water landed right on her nose, a visible shiver running through her body.
Mo opened her mouth to question her further, but then a cold drop of rain landed on the top of her head. She gasped, the fluffy brown ears atop her head immediately flattening to her hair to avoid the water as another dropped onto her soon after.
“Looks like you were right about the rain!” Eurwen chuckled, leaving the skewers and the grill where they were as she quickly scrambled up off the ground to run toward the tent. Mo wasn’t too far behind, the rain picking up faster than she could move.
The two soon squeezed into the small tent, leaving the last lights of the sunset behind them as Eurwen tied the flaps shut. Mo sat down on one of the bedrolls, shaking her head and causing little droplets of water to fly off of her. Eurwen laughed, holding up her hands as some of it flew at her. “Hey, careful!”
Mo looked up at this, feeling another wave of embarrassment wash over her. “S-Sorry,” she mumbled, beginning to unlace and pull off her tall steel-toed boots along with her cloak and belt.
Eurwen sat at her own bedroll and did the same, unfastening her pauldrons and cape, followed by her leather armor. She then took off her sword as well as her bag, leaving her in just a puffy white shirt and dark brown pants.
Mona glanced at her and gave a quiet chuckle. “You look like a noble in that thing.” She muttered, gesturing to her fluffy white top.
The Elven woman looked down at it and gave a soft laugh of her own, tugging at the puff of the sleeve where the fabric was loose. “I suppose it does. It fits with the rest of the outfit though.”
“I suppose,” Mo shrugged, beginning to crawl into her bedroll. She soon laid back, arms behind her head as she stared up at the leather of the tent and listened to the steady pattering of the rain hitting and rolling down the sides. She could hear Eurwen getting into her own bedroll, suddenly very aware of how close they were to each other.
It wasn’t too hard to notice when the other would move, only a few inches of space between the two of them. Mo couldn’t help but be tense, the loud silence of the rain somehow unable to prevent the awkward silence between the two of them. It always seemed to come back to this, the two of them silent when it was clear they both had things they wanted to ask.
Eventually, Mona turned to her side so she was facing Eurwen. The Elven woman was staring up at the top of the tent, hands folded over each other on top of the bedroll. There was a strange expression on her face in the dark, one of determination and distant thought. Mo couldn’t help but stare at her for a few moments before finally closing her eyes.
“...Goodnight, Mo,” Eurwen said quietly.
Mo hesitated, tensing up once more at the sudden sound of her voice before taking in a deep breath and attempting to let herself relax.
“...Goodnight, Eurwen.”
Thunder was what woke Mo from her slumber, making her jolt awake. She sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes before turning to stare out the window. The rain was pouring heavily outside, rolling echoes of thunder making the wooden walls gently rumble. Wait… Wasn’t she in a tent? A cold hand then traced over her lower back, making her shiver and whip around to look at who was next to her.
It was Cove, now standing up from where she was leaning over the bed to touch Mona, a high-pitched giggle erupting from her. Her cyan-colored skin and floaty dark blue ponytail glistened with a wet sheen despite being dry.
“Sorry, love, did I startle you?” she asked in that bubbly voice Mona hadn’t heard in so long. The elemental woman was wearing a long pale green nightgown and looked as though she hadn’t gotten up too long ago either. She leaned over the bed again and kissed Mo’s cheek, smooth and scarless. “I was just about to wake you,”
Mona hesitated before parting her lips in a smile she hadn’t worn in ages, her heart swelling at the soft kiss. Any questions she had as to what was happening quickly left her. As Cove began to pull away again, Mona playfully grabbed her by the waist, throwing the small Water Elemental to the bed with a squeal before covering her face with quick pecks, the two both giggling up a storm. Cove soon gently shoved Mo back, starting to get back up off of the bed. “Come on, Mona! Time to get up!”
Mona giggled, following her out of bed. She stood up and yawned, squeezing her eyes closed and stretching her arms above her head until her back gave a satisfying pop. “Why? What’s today?”
“We’ve got to start heading out, Mo, the sun’s up!”
Mona’s brow furrowed. “‘Mo?’ You never call me Mo,” she muttered, rubbing at her eyes again before opening them with a gasp.
She was in the tunnels, those damned tunnels, a lit torch sitting in the path in front of her. Mo could feel the fresh gashes on her face and the blood that ran down it, and blinking through it she could see Cove. She was wearing her pale blue-dyed leather armor, but the blood covered most of the color. She was holding what remained of her unmoving left arm, blood soaking the fabric that was hastily wrapped over her wounds. There were splinters of wood in her thighs, causing her to limp. The torch between them cast a ghastly light on these wounds. When she smiled, the firelight danced along the blood and tears rolling down her face.
“It’s time to get up, now… We need to get going…”
A rumble followed the woman’s words, the entire tunnel beginning to shake with a roar as a dark mass stormed through the open space behind them, just barely fitting against the walls as it rushed toward them. Before Mona could even scream, the tunnel began to collapse.
Her eyes snapped open and she was back inside the tent, now in a fetal position inside the bedroll, holding her head. Mona’s eyes immediately snapped to look at the opening where Eurwen was looking on with a deeply concerned expression.
“Mo?... Are you alright? You were whimpering, I’ve been trying to wake you up. We need to get going.”
Mona shuddered as Eurwen spoke those same words she’d heard in the dream, sitting up. She did her best to try and wipe the tears from her eyes without the other seeing them. “R-Right, sorry, I’ll be out soon.”
Eurwen hesitated before simply giving a nod and letting the flap close, leaving her in the tent alone. Mo gave a rasped breath, trying to calm herself as she lifted a shaking hand to her face. Her fingertips brushed the slightly raised scars on her face, tracing them as she blinked away the tears and did her best not to cry.
She soon squeezed her eyes tight, her hands now moving to press into the fur of the bedroll. One deep breath after the other, Mo slowly began to calm down. Eventually, the shaking stopped, the tears no longer threatened to fall, and she was breathing relatively normally. She slowly opened her eyes. “You can do this…” she muttered to herself, taking in one more large, steadying breath before beginning to throw on her cloak and her boots.
Minutes later, she emerged from the tent equipped for the day. Eurwen was packing the last of the skewers from last night into her bag, glancing over to her with a hesitant smile.
“Hey, Mo. Are you feeling better?” Eurwen asked, attempting to sound casual.
Mona’s cheeks began to grow warm and a feeling of shame and embarrassment welled in her. She hated the fact that the other had seen her so vulnerable. “I’m fine,” she quickly hissed out, hardly looking the Elven woman in the eye before turning and beginning to pull a bedroll from the tent and roll it up. Eurwen didn’t press any further, leaving the two in a heavy silence as they both worked to pack up the rest of the camp.