“Did you find them?” I ask urgently as soon as she lands on my shoulder. In return, she sends me an image. No, a memory – of her watching the party of lizard-folk. It’s a pity that River’s out of range already, otherwise I’d share it with him and get his thoughts. I’ll have to wait until he gets back and then do it.

My first concern is to count the number of lizard-folk who have come to find me, as that is the most likely explanation for their presence, I figure. Fifteen. No, sixteen – as Sirocco turned her head, she spotted another hiding behind a bush, on guard.

Five of them were clustered around a carcass. One small and slim, two hulking, and the other two bigger than the smallest, but lithe rather than on steroids. The other ten were waiting patiently to one side, gazing at the group in the middle, but not approaching. No, not gazing at the group – looking at the carcass itself.

Paying close attention to the differences between them, I become increasingly convinced that the party is composed of one Pathwalker, four Warriors, and ten, probably eleven unevolved – I can’t tell what the sentry might be since I can only see his crest sticking up over the bush.

Given what I’ve learned about the way the lizard-folk operate, I’m not surprised that even in the field – or the forest, more accurately – the unevolved are second to eat. I suppose it’s only the presence of the Pathwalker which permits them to eat at all; otherwise they’d probably be forced to be like Catches-leaves had been – starving while surrounded by food.

I force my thoughts away from my anger at that cruelty and focus once more on the matter at hand. Why this composition? Is it a standard one unless intending to fight a powerful foe: I remember River indicating that the party which left to face Kalanthia had been bigger and mostly, if not entirely, composed of Warriors.

I also remember him saying that their deaths had left the village vulnerable – perhaps there are so many unevolved here because they can’t dedicate the same number of Warriors without leaving the village defenceless? Something to ask my own lizard-folk Bound when they come back.

With sixteen fighters, four of which are probably faster or stronger than the unevolved, perhaps both at once, and one capable of using magic, this is going to be a challenging fight. I’ve seen how both River and Catches-leaves use their weapons, and I’m sure that the Warriors at least would be even more effective. A head-on battle is likely to lead to casualties on both sides. And that’s not what I want.

But then, maybe it doesn’t have to be a straight battle. My mind ticking over busily, I slowly smile as an idea comes to mind. I’ll have to see whether it will work when my Bound come back from the forest, so I consider a few other alternative plans as well.

The sensation of squirming against my back reminds me of something. Three things, actually, and I head quickly into my alcove to sort them out.

When we’d returned to the danaris’ cave after all my Bound had had the chance to eat and drink – and all the other fateful events which happened too – I’d found three of the danaris larvae still alive. They seemed to have established a truce after vanquishing all the others. The chitinous bones of their siblings had littered the ground around them, and they were casually snacking on the carcass I’d left for them, peacefully side by side.

Why they would be peaceful after having had such a voracious appetite for the flesh of their own kind, I don’t know. Did each larva have a limit in the terms of the number of siblings they would kill? Were they satisfied with what they had already consumed and felt no need to be aggressive towards the other hatchlings? Or did they all recognise in the other a powerful opponent, an instinct for survival telling them not to engage?

Perhaps I will discover one day. For now, it seems like I have three danaris larvae to look after as well as three raptorcat cubs. Concerned that they would just eat through anything made from creatures, I’d actually made a little bag out of one of my polyester shirts and given it to Persephone to carry in her mouth – I figured that asking the soon-to-be mother to carry the babies was a reasonable demand.

After the confrontation with Kalanthia and when Persephone wanted to drink at the stream, I’d taken it from her and carried it myself the rest of the way.

Now in the alcove, I start building a small enclosure as far away from the fire as possible. I’m not keen on having them close to my head, so put them close to where my feet will be when I’m lying down. Using rocks, I build a ‘cage’, then use sticks on the outside to reinforce the wall and hopefully block any gaps the stones don’t. Maybe I ought to get some clay to create a properly smooth wall later, but this will do for now.

Putting a pile of meat chunks inside – since I don’t have any more whole carcasses – I tip the larvae in. Gazing at them for a moment, I note that they seem half again as big as the larvae I pulled out of Fenrir were. Is that because they grow fast at this stage? Or because these ones were big to begin with, and that’s why they survived the feeding frenzy? Or a bit of both, perhaps.

Covering the cage over with one of my jackets so it’s as dark as it would be inside a creature’s body, I head back outside.

Sitting on the ground, I pull out a few lumps of roasted meat for myself. I’m not famished since I’ve been snacking at regular intervals, but I’m looking forward to a good meal later – I need to prepare it though.

After I’ve eaten, I’m going to get on to creating clothes for myself out of the danaris’ web, but for now I feel the need to relax a bit. A hulking lump catches my eye and I twist my head to look at it: the carcass of the danaris is now decorating the hillside – I really need to get on to harvesting that.

I didn’t want to do it at the cave, first because I was keen to get going, wanting to make the best use of the light and second because I wanted to get the inevitable confrontation with Kalanthia over with. I did grab a large section of the poisoned web, though, and I see that next to the carcass, still on the long stick I’d made for Catches-leaves to carry it without needing to touch the dangerous material. If I can replicate the effects, that could come in very useful too.

Perhaps Kalanthia might like the meat of the danaris? My Bound hadn’t, but she’s stronger; maybe the venom-laced meat would be palatable to her where it wasn’t to them. I’m sure there’s a Core inside too; perhaps giving that to her might help smooth the disruption between us. Or maybe she’d see it as a bribe for her cub’s life. She did imply that the most important thing for her at this moment would be that I keep Lathani alive and help her get stronger, after all.

I do find it a bit odd that the Oath we took didn’t react to this whole situation. Weren’t our promises of mutual no harm contravened here? Either by me Bonding Lathani, or by Kalanthia attacking me.

It’s understandable if the oaths didn’t react to me Bonding Lathani. After all, I offered the first Bond to help protect her, and then she instigated the second by herself. What would the Oaths have against that? But then Kalanthia attacked me. I expected it, but it still wasn’t necessary; if she had heard either me or Lathani out first, she probably wouldn’t have chosen to attack.

Stolen story; please report.

Perhaps the Oaths didn’t activate because she thought it was warranted? But then when would any attack trigger the Oath? After all, we always think our attacks are warranted, even if only motivated by greed. Unless it only activates when, deep down, we know that what we are doing is wrong. But then that’s a bit of a shoddy protection.

Unless it did activate, but didn’t tell me? In which case, that’s not a particularly good protection either. I’m starting to understand why Oaths are not well-regarded by many people in Nicholas’ world.

Deciding to see if there’s anything in my status screen, I pull it up.

Name: Markus Wolfe

Race: Human

Class: Tamer

Level: 13

Energy to next level: 100%

Energy absorption rate: 40u/hr

Energy towards debt: 89% (246)

Intelligence

36+1 (+5%)

Mana: 546/555 (15u/IP)

Wisdom

40+2 (+5%)

Mana regeneration rate: 1050u/hr

Willpower

43+10 (+25%)

Health regeneration rate: 53u/hr

Constitution

22

Health: 330/330 (15u/CP)

Strength

20

Stamina: 120/120

Dexterity

20

Stamina regeneration rate: 200u/hr

Class skills

Dominate – Initiate 3

*Companion Bond

Tame – Initiate 1

Fade – Initiate 3

Inspect Fauna – Novice 4

Inspect Flora – Beginner 8

Inspect Environment – Beginner 9

Fire-Taming – Beginner 3

Non-Class skills

Flesh-Shaping – Journeyman 9

Stealth – Novice 3

Animal Empathy – Journeyman 2

Meditation – Journeyman 6

Energy Manipulation – Master 1

Sensation Management – Beginner 9

Spearmanship – Beginner 9

Archery – Beginner 8

Blunt Weaponry – Novice 2

Short Blades – Beginner 6

Fire-Shaping – Beginner 3

Glancing down at my Skills, I notice that a few have increased by one or two levels, Sensation Management now on the precipice of crossing into Novice. I was leaning on that Skill quite a bit during that confrontation with Kalanthia, so it’s not terribly surprising. Energy Manipulation is still sitting stubbornly at Master one, but that’s also not too shocking: I haven’t spent any time trying to increase it.

Actually, I have four Skills now which are due for a rank-up any time soon – Flesh-Shaping, Sensation Management, Spearmanship, and Inspect Environment. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get there.

More relevant right now, though, is what I’m seeing in both my Energy store and debt. They’ve both climbed significantly. My Energy towards the next level is now sitting at one hundred percent – I can level up! I think with glee – and the percentage of Energy put towards my debt is now at eighty-nine percent, five percent higher than it was the last time I looked.

Does that mean that the Oaths broke? And that I received Kalanthia’s portion of the collateral as well as my own back? It’s possible, but in that case, it’s definitely not a good system: there has never been an indication of the Oath being active, and apparently no real indication of it being broken.

All I can guess is that the amount of Energy from Kalanthia filled my store, then, per my usual intentions, overflowed into my debt storage. Perhaps if it had happened when I’d still been level one, I’d have noticed a large amount of Energy entering me, but maybe not. Nicholas’ world must have some better way of monitoring active Oaths, I think to myself. Otherwise, what use are they? And what if you have multiple? How would you know which had been broken?

In the end, I just shrug to myself. I think that Kalanthia and I are past the point of needing oaths. I respect her capabilities, and she has come to trust my intentions – mostly. I know her well enough now to have a good idea of what actions will set her off. Bonding her cub was always going to cross one of the clear lines she drew, hence why I’d been uncertain about being able to come out of that confrontation fully intact.

Now, though, I’m pretty sure there are only really three lines which I could cross. One, allow Lathani to die. Two, attack Kalanthia. Three, try to Bind Kalanthia – in a serious attempt, not what I just did to her which was more to make her stop and listen than actually an attack on her. Since I’m not planning on doing any of that, we should be fine.

So, once more I have to make a decision about what stats to increase, and now I can choose from all of them.

Closing my status screen, I head over to the danaris’ carcass. Before I start cutting, though I poke my head into the cave and look at Kalanthia. She’s cuddling with Lathani, but her eyes are open.

“Are you interested in the danaris’ flesh? I’m going to butcher the carcass now,” I tell her, trying to keep a usual bright and casual tone in my voice, not the wary one which wants to come out. Nor do I let my gaze linger too long on the massive white fangs which almost pierced me, or the paws from which sword-like claws had extended.

If you can succeed in removing the venom which usually laces it and makes it inedible, yes, Kalanthia says after a moment of thought. That tells me two things: one, that she has faced this creature before, and two, that the venom would be distasteful or actively harmful even to Kalanthia. Good to know.

“Alright, I’ll try,” I promise, then quickly beat it outside again. I’m sure I’ll feel more comfortable with the giant leopard in the near future: I overcame the last time she attacked me quickly enough. And I logically know that she’s very unlikely to attack me right now. It still doesn’t mean that my heart won’t beat faster when she’s watching me with that predator’s gaze, or when I remember just how quickly she could end my life.

Though, thinking about it, although it felt like I was on the brink of dying at any moment, the fact is that I didn’t die. Does that mean that she wasn't actually trying to kill me? Or that part of her was holding her back?

The thought warms me – that maybe, despite her anger, she had still had a part of her that hoped she was wrong, and that wanted to give me a chance to explain.

Even while I go back to the danaris’ carcass and start to dismember it, even as I think about where to put my level-up points, I find the warmth from that thought lingering.