Is it time? Bastet asks as I sit up.

“Yes,” I answer.

Finally! exclaims Lathani, leaping to her feet, almost vibrating with energy. The rest of my Bound aren’t quite so enthusiastic, but they stir with more or less grumbling.

It’s early; the sun isn’t even up yet. Aingeal happily lights the area for us, brightening a bit so that we can all see where everyone else’s limbs are. I sometimes feel guilty at asking him to be a glorified torch when he’s a living, thinking being – well, for a definition of ‘living’ and ‘thinking’, anyway. He seems to like it well enough, though – he just seems to want to do things. I send him his daily dose of fire-aligned mana which he happily accepts.

I take a moment to go through my Inventory, making sure that everything is present that should be – and that none of the things that shouldn’t be are there. After all my work yesterday with the smelting and casting of spear heads, and then spending time sharpening them with Happy’s help, I would hate to accidentally walk away with them – I want them to be used by the samurans, not be rusting away in my Inventory. Not that they’d actually rust in it, given the stasis effect.

Last night I spent some time making a few different meals with the meat and plants the Unevolved had collected during the day. I now have more variety in my Inventory again, which makes me happy. I pull out a ‘breakfast wrap’ which I made with a couple of eggs the hunters found and some pseudo flour ground from some nuts and held together with an edible leaf around the outside. Taking a bite, I hum in surprised pleasure. The leaf actually isn’t all that bad. A bit like tough lettuce. And the nut flour is, as expected, nutty, a flavour which goes surprisingly well with the strong-tasting eggs.

We’re going to try to make it all the way back to Kalanthia’s cave in one day. Our success is going to depend on how much we’re attacked. Given how fast everyone can move these days, it should be possible, but if we’re caught in more than a couple of fights, we may find ourselves needing to decide whether to keep running through the darkness or not.

That’s why we’re getting up so early – we want to leave before the sun is properly over the horizon to maximise our daylight hours. Especially since the day and night are now almost equal in length, the day slightly shorter than the night. It does mean I’ve had to double the layer of my spider-silk for sleeping – the mornings in particular are quite chilly.

After my last triple-check of our resources, I follow my Bound out of the hut. Lathani and Bastet gravitate to me. River too – the last couple of nights she’s come to join the rest of us in ‘my’ hut. I have to admit that I’ve appreciated having her back with us. Fenrir seems to have enjoyed it too – he’s now big enough to flop over both of us when he sleeps.

Honey has been joining us as well, inching closer every night. She still hasn’t come to a decision over whether or not to switch her Bond to Dominate or Companion Bond so I can fix her Energy channels. I’m not rushing her – according to her status screen, she still has a good way to go until she’ll be able to Evolve. Though I suspect that it’s better to fix it sooner rather than later: building Energy channels around damage has got to be setting up problems for later Evolutions. At least, that’s my guess.

A weight landing on my shoulder informs me of another member of our band coming to join us. Sirocco doesn’t like joining us in the hut, so has been perched on the roof. Spine, Shakira, and Trinity are all too big to get inside, so they’ve been sleeping just beyond the front door. They’re ready to go as much as we are. Pride has joined them the last few nights – he finds getting in and out of the hut difficult too with his prominent dorsal ridge.

Komodo and Thorn are still rather stand-offish, but have, like Honey, slowly been getting closer to us. A part of that is probably due to how wet the nights have been recently. Their shapes allow them to get in and out of the hut reasonably well, especially after I added a slope on the inside – my visit to the hatchlings’ hut inspired me. I also created a sheltered area outside for those who couldn’t make it inside the hut properly.

Thorn is another one I hope will Bind himself closer to me at some point – I’ve healed his physical wounds, but he was hit with Raven’s jet of acid, so I’m sure there’s damage to his internal channels. Unlike Honey, so far he’s been rather decisive in his refusal, though.

Seeing as we’re all here, I signal the group to start heading towards the up-valley gateway. As we pass two Unevolved sleeping huts, I spot a figure hesitating in the shadows. Narrowing my eyes at it, I realise as we get closer that it’s Catch. Seeing that I’ve spotted him, he sidles over to me looking more than a bit uncertain.

Honoured Markus, I was unsure…do you wish me to join you? The question makes me hesitate a moment. Honestly, I’d been assuming that he wouldn’t want to. Now that his sight is fixed, he seems to be doing very well as a hunter in the village. From what I can tell, he’s been earning Energy Heart fragments at a rate practically unmatched among the other villagers.

“Do you want to?” I ask him carefully. I don’t want him to feel obliged in any sort of way.

I don’t want to be in the way, he answers carefully, but the hint of longing in his spikes is overshadowed by the wave which comes over from his side of the Bond. I take a moment to phrase my words carefully, sensing that this is an important moment.

“If you want to come with me, with us, you are welcome to do so,” I say deliberately, pushing sincerity down the Bond between us. “But I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working for the good of the village. If you would like to stay here and continue that, you are welcome to do that too.”

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Catch looks away for a moment, a sudden feeling of anguish shooting through the Bond like a spear to my heart.

I…I did not do it for the village, he replies quietly. I puzzle over that for a moment. If he didn’t do it for the village, who did he do it for?

And then it strikes me. The unspoken words which should follow: I did it for you.

“Why…?” I can’t help but ask, even as I realise it was a mistake when he physically recoils from me, shame rippling both through his spikes and across our Bond. It’s so strong that I actually step towards him, my hand raised to…I don’t know what. I lay it on his shoulder, glad that he doesn’t flinch back from me – I seem to be misstepping a little this morning. Hopefully it’s not setting the tone for the day or the meeting with Kalanthia that will follow.

I was not strong enough to come with you before, he explains in almost a whisper, the shame intensifying within his Bond. I mentally signal my Bound to keep moving slowly towards the gateway – I suspect that Catch would rather have less of an audience.

“Six of my Bound died in that battle,” I say to him heavily. “And two of them were Warriors. I’m glad I didn’t bring you with me, because I know that you would have been at my side…and I wouldn’t have wanted you to pay that price for your loyalty.”

But if I had been stronger, if I had been able to fight-

“The outcome would have been the same,” I interrupt, “except that perhaps you would have been among the dead. We had no chance of beating our opponent except with perhaps another ten Warriors and more combat-capable Pathwalkers. And preferably an advantage in knowledge or preparation time. He was just too powerful.”

He is silent for a long moment, but I sense that my words have done something to soothe him.

“Is that why you have been working so hard? I thought that you wanted to help your village?” I ask a bit awkwardly.

He gives his version of a shrug.

I wish to get stronger to be of more use to you, and earning Energy Heart pieces and hunting is the only way to do that.

Chagrin goes through me and I sigh, rubbing a hand across my face.

“Catch…I’m sorry. Really sorry,” I apologise fervently. “I’ve neglected you and hadn’t even realised it. I honestly thought that you had fitted back into the village, that you and Pride were having fun hunting together. That…you weren’t interested in building a closer bond with the rest of our group. I made assumptions – and an ass out of myself. I should have at least spoken to you about it.

“Listen, if you want Energy Hearts to advance, you can have them. As long as you use them carefully so that they don’t harm your advancement, however they do that, then you can have as many as you need. You are part of a small group of beings who have dedicated themselves willingly to me and I should have remembered that. My Companions will receive everything they need as long as I am capable of giving it,” I tell him earnestly, feeling awful inside.

I’d barely thought about Catch, and when I had considered him, I’d made assumptions based on his actions rather than talking to him. I should have realised that I would have to be the one to approach him – culturally, he was taught not to ask anything of a Pathwalker; when I became the leader of the village, it could only have made things more difficult for him.

He looks rather surprised at the depths of my apology – or perhaps that I was giving him one at all. Clearly, he thinks that the problem is from his side, because of his ‘weakness’.

Does that mean I can come? he asks, sounding a little confused.

“It means that I’d like you to come,” I correct. Flickers of blue go through his spikes and he straightens up with hope drifting across the Bond.

Thank you, Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, he answers, tilting his chin to the sky. I point at him, narrowing my eyes.

“That’s ‘Markus’ to you – or Honoured Markus if you don’t want to use that.” Relief combines with the hints of hope.

Thank you…Honoured Markus, he answers whole-heartedly.

“Alright,” I tell him, glancing at where my Bound are almost at the gateway. “Let’s get moving. Have you got everything you need? Do you have a weapon to use?”

We walk quickly towards the gateway and the farewell party waiting there, even while I do my best to ensure that my previous neglect isn’t continued any longer.

Reaching the gateway, almost at the same time as the rest of my Bound, I see Shrieks accompanied by his four top Warriors, along with the five other Pathwalkers. River, of course, is coming with us – even though I suggested she continue with her experiments here, she wouldn’t hear of it. I’m not exactly sure why she was so determind to accompany us – I didn’t think that she and Kalanthia got along so well…. Maybe she left something at the alcove which she wants to retrieve.

Honoured Pathwalker Tamer, we wish you all the best on your mission, Shrieks rumbles. I haven’t told them exactly what I’m doing, only that I’m going to be away for a few days but no longer than a week. I would feel more reassured about your and Honoured Pathwalker Reducer’s safety if you would take with you Plays-with-poison, Bites-a-leaf, and Jumps-over-a-rock.

“Are you sure you can spare them from the defence of the village?” I ask, not surprised – he’s been trying to suggest Warriors ever since he heard that I was leaving. “We have plenty of protection with all of my Bound.”

He lifts his chin slightly in respectful acknowledgement, but the feeling I get over the Bond is implacable determination.

Our village is well-defended. We are not travelling through dangerous forest terrain, he answers. For your benefit, and that of the village, I implore you to take them with you. They will guard you and Pathwalker River well.

I eye the three samurans. I remember them from the ranking fights. Plays-with-poison was the scout-type who used an alchemical powder to hide his position and threw poisoned daggers at me. Bites-a-leaf was the one with a bola which took me a little by surprise. Jumps-over-a-rock is another scout-type Warrior whose speed – enhanced by his special ability – would have been more problematic if not for Bastet. They’re good choices, actually. Especially since we have powerful defenders in Trinity, Komodo, and Fenrir.

“Alright, fine. As long as you’re confident that you have enough Warriors to defend everyone else, we’ll accept them.” I already have a Bond with each of them so that won’t be an issue.

Shrieks lifts his chin again as the three come to join our party. After a few more words of farewell and good luck – and a couple of resentful glares from Windy – we’re off.

“Come on everyone, let’s try to be there by dusk.”