Aura awoke before the night had given way to the sun. She had fallen asleep in Dax's arms, which surprised her. His warmth had strangely comforted her. He was a kind stranger at best to her. How could she let her guard down? If Raika had watched the whole evening, they were sure to be questioned. Aura wiggled out of the man's grip and decided to continue with her mission as any warrior should. She was there to get intel and possibly get the humans out of the valley for good if at all possible.

Even in her human form, Aura had the speed and strength of a wolf. She made quick work gathering wood to start a new fire. She stayed close to Dax as the other men began to wake from their slumber. Her stomach growled loudly cueing Dax to snicker from behind her. How long he had been awake watching her was unclear, but his smile made her happy. She gave herself a mental tongue lashing for her reaction to him. She had to charm him, not the other way around.

"Good morning, Aura," Dax said in a husky tone that sent a warm tingle through Aura's body.

"Morning, Dax." Aura whispered in her morning voice just loud enough for him to hear. She watched as Dax moved closer to her and her fire.

"We should do something about that growling stomach of yours." Dax chuckled, reaching in a nearby bag for food. He pulled out two buns and a jar of raslen jam. "It's not a grand breakfast, but it should cure your growling stomach." Dax handed her a bun covered in jam, and she happily downed the modest meal.

"Damn, that's a good jam." Aura moaned, finishing her breakfast.

Dax blushed at Aura's display. "You are not subtle about your actions, are you?"

"Never have before. Don't see a reason to be now." Aura proclaimed. The men in the camp began packing up their site, signaling Dax and Aura that they needed to return to the world. The sun was rising over the trees bathing the valley in golden light.

Dax took one more minute to enjoy this strange woman he had encountered. Her black curls were a mess. The gold in her eyes matches the light of the sun. He wished to always remember her beauty that went with her sharp tongue. What a woman he had found in such a dreary place. Aura smiled at him, sealing the perfect image in his mind.

“Dax, are you all right?” Aura asked, bringing the sweet silent moment to an end. Aura knew she had accomplished her plan of charming the stranger. She needed to come up with a plan to get these humans out of the valley for good to keep the village safe. Staring at Dax's ocean blue eyes was not going to help her bring peace to the valley.

Dax fumble for a moment trying to think of a good answer. “You said you were trained in combat, right?” He said with little thought of what he could say next.

“Oh. Um, yeah. I am trained in several different forms of combat.” She responded. Dax had surprised her with that random change in conversation. “Why?”

Dax swallowed some water as he thought of where this conversation could go. Combat… Why would he ask about combat? “Would you… mind if we… sparred? I am curious about your skills.”

“You seem nervous. Are you sure that’s what’s on your mind?” Aura probed for an honest answer.

Dax decided to go with it. There was no reason to tell her that he was admiring her beauty. “Yes. I am a bit nervous because I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He gave a small smile.

Aura didn’t believe him, but she didn’t mind kicking his ass in a sparring match. She stood up and offered him help up. “Sure, Dax. I will happily kick your ass.”

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Dax grabbed two wooden swords off the caravan wagon. “Sword match, okay?” He asked, handing her the wooden sword.

“Sure, Captain. What weapon we use doesn’t matter. I will still knock you on your ass.” She laughed.

Both of them stood at the ready a few feet away from each other. “The first one to fall loses. Ready?” Aura nodded. “Good. Start.” Dax called out as he started to charge toward her.

Aura giggled as she spun out of his path, forcing Dax to catch himself before tripping over a tree root. She got low and swung at the back of his knees, so he leaped above her sword to avoid her attack. Dax used his position to strike Aura down, but Aura stopped the strike with her sword. Dax was amazed at her strength. He thought he could easily overpower her, but she held him back with little effort.

Aura had to hold herself back. She used only a smidge of her speed with her attacks, but her strength was on par with Dax’s. They were evenly matched with every swing and strike. The men began to take interest in the match, and a small crowd was forming. Aura would not lose to Dax. She would not let these men underestimate her. Aura took the match up a notch by evading Dax’s strikes by flipping and spinning out of his way. The crowd watched as the two of them danced with the wooden sword in their hands.

Dax increased his pace of attacks. Aura just evaded them with grace. He was stunned at her skills, but he wondered if she could go on the offensive. He pushed harder with constant strikes varying from high to low, and it seemed as if Aura was always a second ahead of him. He didn’t sense any magic ability at play, but he did sense Aura had trace amounts of magic flowing through her body. He made a mental note of that for later.

Aura matched every movement Dax made. If Dax had been using his magic, Aura would have been at disadvantage even with her speed and strength. The crowd began to cheer for their captain, and Aura giggled silently in her mind. This was fun. For the first time in years, her mission was fun, not gruesome, and stressful. She could continue this all day, but she needed to get these guys out of the valley. Giving Dax a grateful gaze, she did a fast, low spinning back kick, knocking Dax to the ground. She pointed the wooden weapon at him, pretending to huff and be tired. Dax dropped his weapon and raised his arms in defeat. The crowd oohed and awed at the combatants. Dax waved them away as he rested on the ground.

Aura and Dax watched the men begin to pack the temporary campsite. Aura sat down on the log adjacent to Dax. He leaned back against the tree, trying to catch his breath. He was in awe of Aura. She had bested him with one move. He got the feeling she was the better martial artist, but he suspected he could win if he used magic. Dax thought about asking Aura to go another round with him. She seemed to come alive during the match. She was truly a wild woman, unlike any other woman he had met.

"Dax, shouldn't you be picking up as well? Your men are almost packed and ready." Aura pointed out.

Dax nodded, got up, and took down the unused tent. He folded up his tent and filled his bags. Aura played with the fire in deep thought of possible solutions while waiting for the moment she should say goodbye or continue with them to steer them clear of the village. All the horses were hitched and caravans packed. The men were ready to continue, and Dax stood with them. There were no signs from Aura's clan to pull out of her undercover mission yet.

"Will you come with us or stay here?" Dax questioned.

"I will walk with you for a while, but I do not plan to leave the valley, yet." Aura answered. Standing up from her log, she joined Dax on top of his horse, riding down the path. She had one more night to gather information. Maybe, even enjoy another under the stars with a stranger.

"How long until we reach the valley's edge?" One of the knights asked Dax.

"We will reach the cave by midday tomorrow," Dax responded and the caravan marched forward. He grinned back at Aura. He was truly enjoying her company after last night. Aura wrapped her arms around his body, and they both enjoyed the comfort in silence.

There was no road to the valley's edge, so the caravan moved slowly. The knights had to stop and remove obstacles along the way, which they did easily with their magic weapons. Aura had heard of knights with such weapons, but this was her first encounter with such magic. She wondered if Dax had made these powerful weapons for his troop or someone from his family. All the magic the weapons used was an elemental kind of magic. Aura knew her clan could hear the ruckus these men were making as they cleared away trees and brush.

"Tell me, Dax. Is there no other way to travel to the villages? I worry about what may happen if you continue going through this valley. It's been left untouched for a reason." Aura asked with the hope that Dax might give her a solution.

"No. Not unless you have a way to fly over it." Dax chuckled. "You aren't a dragon, right?"

"I wish. I wouldn't be hiding in a valley if I were a dragon." Aura giggled shamelessly. She let her giggle fade as her mind processed his words. There was no way to magically transport the caravan over the valley, but maybe they could go under. Caves littered the mountains. If she could tunnel and map out a path, then she could protect her clan and help the knights. "If I could find another way, would you take it?"

"Are you a magic genie? Can you grant wishes? If not, I don't believe there is another way." Dax retorted. Aura seemed unamused by his answer as she remained silent. Dax sighed, "We have made a few trips this way. There is no reason to change what is working for us."

Dax may be sympathetic, but he is still a hard-headed human. Aura would have to give him a reason to change course in the future. She could fix both groups' problems with a little bit of time. For now, she would be sure the caravan stays far from the village and find out when the knights plan to travel again. Then, she will convince her Alpha and Dax that her plan is the only way to go.