“Ah hey, watch it!” Antoth whispered, throwing a playful look at a pair of green eyes glinting back at him in the darkness.

“Oh hush, you love it when I do that,” Ratha insisted, snaking her hands around his neck and continuing to nip and lick at his lips. The weight of his body atop her was unexpectedly welcome as the two high priests finally took some time to explore one another after another extraordinary stressful day in the village. “Haaaa…” she sighed delightedly as he moved down her body to test the skin of her neck, his paw roaming over her chest. Antoth chuckled at the noise.

“I’d say you’re guilty as well,” he teased, earning him a rather forceful swat on the back before Ratha made a point with her claws.

“Less talking scarface…more of this,” she demanded, raising her tail between her own legs to coil loosely around his. She hadn’t considered such a thing as mating that night, nor had her lover given any indication that he’d be interested in something like that so soon, but as their bodies grew warm and relaxed together a small part of her mind began to consider that alternative seriously. She found the rest of her to be at least marginally agreeable, purring deeply as she began reciprocating the tentative steps Antoth was making with his teeth. She hated being the more inexperienced party, but he’d never mentioned it. That kindness alone almost made her want to take him inside of her, to equalize the playing field if nothing else. It wasn’t to be.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Antoth growled as the most obtrusive sound of footfalls in the temple reached their ears.

“I think that’s my line Antoth. You don’t teach your men stealth?” Ratha frowned as an anxious voice called out to them.

“I didn’t teach her anything,” the Sentinel replied with a thin smile, shifting his weight off of Ratha and sitting hunched over on the side of the bed. He allowed her the use of the blanket to remain decent as Veera burst through the doorway.

“Damn the human then,” Ratha whispered as Veera looked between them with wide eyes. Antoth’s position was more than enough to conceal his privates from her, though she could tell he was most certainly naked and had many more scars than she’d initially believed. One of them even appeared to be still healing, a memento from the raid he’d kept secret from everyone in order to remain strong; everyone but Ratha. The Huntress wanted nothing more than to accost the whelp for interrupting their private moment, but the look of abject shock on her face and Antoth’s deep, rumbling laughter kept her darker impulses at bay. “I assume this is important?” She asked sharply instead.

“I…I didn’t mean…” Veera stuttered, feathers waving wildly under her cloak. Antoth tried to calm her.

“Now we’re even Veera. Talk.”

“What do you mean even?!” Ratha yelped, grabbing her nighttime companion by the shoulder. From that angle she couldn’t help but look down. Her frown deepened. “What in the hells Antoth? Should I be offended?” The burly captain shook his head.

“No Ratha. I had the misfortune of walking in on Veera and the human the morning after the raid, nothing more. As for that, well…memories of her are not so easily put to bed. Another time, I promise we’ll talk.” Ratha’s initial instinct to protest and confront him then and there was put to bed by both Veera’s presence and Antoth’s promise of more nights together and more conversation about them, their pasts, and their future together. She closed her eyes and relented.

“Talk Veera,” she demanded.

“It’s faint because of the heavy snow but I don’t know what else it could be. There’s a light in the sky unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Russell is calling for us.” For a moment silence reigned in the bedroom, lit only by the flicker of Veera’s torch. Ratha and Antoth looked at one another.

“Then let’s get moving. If that human’s worth his word the meat won’t keep forever,” Ratha said, throwing the blanket off and striding about her room, gathering her clothes and effects. She couldn’t help a smirk as Veera tried to look elsewhere. “What’s wrong, the sight of a real woman making you feel uncomfortable?”

“Oh for the love of Kel! Veera, you said the servants of Tyrdus were working on various items for this eventuality?” Antoth asked, trying to keep everyone on track.

“Uh, yes,” Veera replied hastily.

“Good. Alert them and meet us in the center of town. Dismissed.”

“Yes sir,” Veera replied, throwing a final shot over her shoulder as she ran from the room. “You wouldn’t last a minute in bed with the human Ratha!” Antoth burst into laughter as he finally stood to dress and armor himself.

“Don’t look at me Ratha; I have no intention of allowing you to take up that challenge.”

“When I get back I’m going to ride you into the bed,” she warned with far greater threat than lust. Antoth just looked at her.

“I just hope you get back at all.” His earnest tone visibly softened the look on her face, even under the helm of bone. She approached him as he pulled on his trousers and pulled him to her.

“I don’t like what you’re doing to me,” she whispered. “It’s uncomfortable and feels wrong; but I like you.” Antoth felt his heart thrum in his breast. He knew how rare it was to hear something of that nature from Ratha.

“Then you’ll have a few days without me to think about it, won’t you? Let’s get ready so you can go be the first of our people to see a fully grown ursae in generations.”

“I wanted to be the one to kill it,” she whined softly.

“I want you alive more,” he tried to soothe her.

“Fine. Rally your men scarface. I’m going to need some help.”

-----

“I know you’re impatient Veera, but this is all necessary,” Antoth advised, standing beside her as she paced through the snow in front of where the temple of Seil used to stand. Before them Ratha was playing the role of drill master, making sure that everyone who had volunteered for the ursae retrieval mission was capable and able enough to spend upwards of a week out in the wilds. Many eager and well-meaning individuals had already been turned away, though Antoth was relieved that she’d done so with minimal gratuitous insults. He didn’t blame her for the few that slipped through. There was much to be accounted for. Food, water, weapons, cloaks, tents and other shelter from the elements, equipment, tools, bags, and sleds all had to be collected and readied.

“Hey Veera, we’re all done.” Zolta walked up and informed her with a yawn. She’d woken him from his slumber at the temple, for which he’d been quite peeved. After the twin blasts from the guard horn and the receipt of the news however, he’d perked up. The smiths had devoted time and effort over the prior days to the construction of a small handful of large sleds at Veera’s behest, complete with rope and leather to secure supplies, the latter being scavenged from pre-made pieces and the stores of the temple of Tyrdus. Upon hearing of Veera’s idea, Ratha had made a stop as well and ordered that as many carving and scraping tools as possible be made with what material and time was on hand. She did not give Veera credit for the idea. Nevertheless the situation remained that the village was as ready as could have been expected when the signal came. “So, can I come along too?” Zolta asked. “I have a cloak and everything.” Veera chuckled and looked him over.

“You really think Asha would let you run off into the forest after what happened during the raid?” Veera asked over the din of activity. “Your place is here Zolta. Besides, Xan needs someone to keep him company while he’s propped up in bed. I think he’d really appreciate you and Asha stopping by, especially when I can’t.”

“I hate it when you and Winters talk down to me like that. I’m not much younger than you!” He insisted, the tension and excitement of the occasion drawing out rebellion and energy in him, as well as many of the villagers. Even those who didn’t congregate following Antoth’s call to assemble the guards were standing in the streets or meeting with friends and family, pointing to the faint light in the sky and wondering if the human had truly succeeded at his nigh impossible task.

“Well I can say for certain that I’m much older than you Zolta, and I’m staying too,” Antoth cut in with a quick nod to Veera. “Isn’t your mate pregnant?”

“She is uh…sir,” Zolta replied, unsure exactly how to address Antoth given the situation.

“In times like this we would do best to defend blessings like that. Veera is correct, your place is here. I shudder to think what will happen if this goes wrong,” Antoth growled, his breath forming heavy plumes in the torchlight as he contemplated all the ways in which even a large hunting party could meet their end in the forest. He prayed to all the gods that Winters had succeeded in removing the greatest of those risks and that the flare wasn’t the final gasp of a dying man.

“If things go wrong you’ll be pretty lonely I think,” Ratha said, joining them with no small amount of swagger. “It’s time for us to go. You coming?” She asked Veera tersely.

“What do you think?” The striped Cauthan shot back.

“Just keep up then.” Ratha looked at Antoth as Veera shook her head and scoffed, leading Zolta away to allow the two priests a bit of privacy.

“If this goes wrong-” Antoth’s worries were cut off by a forceful kiss.

“Shut up scarface. I know what happens. And believe me I’ll be furious with you if you give up and die.”

“Ratha…”

“I know you still feel her loss…and your little cub. And I’m cocky enough to believe you’d feel my loss too. But you will be literally all these people have left if this fails. Become the sun priest, do whatever you have to do or so help me I will haunt you until you pass on and then maul your spirit,” she insisted hotly, green eyes alight with life and passion as she gazed up at him. She was pleased at the look of abject shock she found there, like she’d clubbed him over the head with a chesko femur.

“I…uh…” He stammered as she nipped his lips again.

“I think I love you scarface. Don’t miss me too much.” With that Ratha turned and bellowed orders to the assembled Cauthan, making sure that if anyone thought she was some love-smitten female, she was still a hardass. “Listen up! I want heads on a swivel. Hunters ahead and behind the party. We stop when I say we stop. Stay warm and stay dry or you’ll end up dead. Now let’s go get us an ursae. Move out!”

Antoth stood by and chuckled as Ratha accepted a torch from one of her hunters and led the party out of the square towards the west gate. A few of his own men had been chosen to accompany the hunters along with a select few civilian volunteers that Ratha had deemed hardy enough to withstand the elements outside the walls. They departed the village to scattered cheers and cries of encouragement, the hopes of the village squarely on their shoulders. Antoth walked behind them to the gates, remaining in the shadow of the gatehouse as the party walked on and finally disappeared into the night.

“Selah, Ratha.”

-----

‘Sir, I regret to inform you that we have company!’ Io woke him insistently, highlighting an approaching hyrven pack on his HUD. Winters’ adrenaline surged and he was up immediately. He’d spend most of the remaining twilight hours opening the ursae up from neck to tail and cleaning out the body cavity of internal organs. Most were so heavy he didn’t bother lifting them, allowing them instead to spill out into the snow. He and Io had avoided the stomach entirely after severing it from the esophagus. The interior was something they simply didn’t want to see.

“Nope, absolutely not,” Winters protested calmly, drawing his rifle and felling the first two hyrven that approached within a hundred feet of the carcass. He’d assumed he’d have to defend his prize, he just didn’t expect it so soon. His body thrummed and ached with pain from the fight, but the last thing he was about to do was surrender to a pack of scavengers. The remaining beasts yelped and growled at him but kept closing after initially jumping back in surprise; demonstrating their hunger still exceeded their fear of death.

‘Uh sir, perhaps an olive branch instead? There’s still quite a few of them!’ Io suggested, motioning to the pile of offal. Winters shrugged, too tired and wracked with dull pain to relish the idea of killing a dozen more hyrven.

“Couldn’t hurt to try,” he agreed, carefully pacing towards something that might have been the liver, sweeping his gun from hyrven to hyrven. “We don’t even know if this stuff is edible, but what if it is?”

‘If it is you still have at least a couple tons of meat and fat to carve through,’ Io reasoned. ‘Who knows, maybe you could even tame one?’

“That’s the last thing I need, another mouth to feed,” Winters grumbled, kneeling and cutting off a piece of the dark red meat and throwing it out into the snow. He kept his gun ready and loaded but didn’t point it directly at the three hyrven who walked closer before jumping on the piece, snarling and fighting over it. “Wow, Ratha was right. They really are dumb,” he said, shooting another hyrven that had snuck up and begun nibbling at the ursae’s nose. “That’s my trophy you asshole!” Winters shouted, pointing to the pile of guts. “If you want meat then there it is!” Finally one of the larger and more reserved hyrven seemed to understand, walking past him with a growl to begin tearing off large chunks from what Io and Winters believed to be the equivalent of the small intestines of the ursae. With the terms of their ‘agreement’ established, the hyrven set about stuffing their bellies while Winters clambered atop the ursae from the back, giving himself a full view of the pack from a vantage point considerably higher than his pod. He was happy he didn’t have to shoot any more of them as they crawled over the carcass but left the muscle and fat more or less alone. Several more hyrven that looked less imposing than the initial raiders joined in soon after, including a handful of cubs with fluffier fur that Winters had to admit were quite cute.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

‘Oh my…could we turn around sir?’ Io asked as a couple of the wolf-like animals began snarling and tearing into the meat of the stomach. ‘I don’t think I want to watch this.’ Her face had gone rather pale as a couple of Cauthan sized bones tumbled out into the snow. They’d already been completely divested of meat and connective tissue. Winters obliged her willingly.

“Yeah…let’s,” he sighed, looking up through the bare branches into the mid-afternoon sky. He was happy to see the sun and his flare still burning brightly, but he had very little love for the evidence just behind him that Hobbes had been correct when he’d described life as ‘nasty, brutish, and short’. After a couple hours the hyrven sated themselves and departed of their own volition. Winters only had to wave his gun at a couple that tried for more. They received the message quickly and fled into the forest with their pack. Winters spoke as he surveyed the area. They now had a well cleaned ursae carcass as well as three hyrven. “Well, that worked out better than I’d expected. Thanks Io.” The VI bowed lightly.

‘Of course sir. I feel a bit better as well. It might be petty of me, but I’m glad the stomach of that beast is out of sight and out of mind.’

“I’m not sure there are too many people who would fault you for that Io. I’m certainly in agreement. How are you feeling overall? Are you making do with just the auxiliary?”

‘Yes sir. It’s not ideal obviously, but I learned to compartmentalize my functionality back when you were walking around the village without the Aegis. Until we are able to make repairs I will be alright so long as nothing happens to the other CPU,’ she explained matter-of-factly. Winters nodded, uncomfortable with the situation but without any recourse at the moment.

“Well like you said, it could be a lot worse. What do you want to do for the next…” he checked his HUD. “Three to four days?”

‘I shudder to think what the quartermasters would say, but I think we should dull that blade of yours some more sir. I know the fur needs to remain mostly whole for cloaks and the like, but perhaps we can begin cutting meat from the corpse? The ambient temperature shows no sign of rising above thirty degrees anytime soon, but the carcass itself is still above that temperature. I worry of spoilage.’ Winters considered her suggestion for a moment before nodding. He could always find a whetstone later if he was in a pinch.

“What do you think Io? Should we wrap the cuts in the tarp and bury them in the snow?” He proposed, sliding carefully from the top of the beast back to the forest floor, landing heavily and wincing as his body reminded him that most of him was still recovering from being batted around like a ragdoll.

‘For starters, yes sir. Perhaps we should cut from the ribs first? When we’re out of room in the tarp we could use a lattice of those bones to prevent the snow from coming in direct contact with the meat.

“And you propose moving those things how, exactly?” Io paused and looked between him and the massive ribcage.

‘A fair point. I suppose we will have to hope the Cauthan don’t mind freezer burn.’ Winters joined her in soft laughter.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Let’s get to work then. I need to get on a daytime schedule anyways,” he shrugged, drawing his blade and sizing up the mammoth carcass.

-----

With each passing day Veera’s anxiety grew greater and more consuming. They followed the light Winters had left them without incident, especially once the blizzard passed, but she couldn’t help thinking of the worst. What if Winters was dead? What if hyrven had gotten to him after the battle? What if hyrven came for them instead? What if there was more than one ursae? She shut her eyes hard in an attempt to force back the demons. There was nothing she could do but carry on.

The one pleasant surprise of the journey to that point had been the lack of interaction with Ratha. The Huntress had stuck primarily to the front of the hunting party, occasionally falling back to check with her rear guard before jogging back to the point position again. Veera stayed in the middle, along with a couple members of the guard force who were much more open to conversation than the disciples of Valta. By the third day however she was too on edge to even hold a conversation, politely waving them off and marching to the head of the train. She’d just arrived when a small, crackling sound reached her earpiece. She shifted her spear to her left hand and stroked the cool plastic with her right, wondering if it had broken or if the forest was getting to her. The trees certainly looked much bigger than she’d ever seen before. The sounds continued.

‘What do…mean you’ve been…casting this…time?’

‘Who…going to hear…the way out here other…Veera?’

“Io? Russell?!” Veera whispered, whipping her head around and looking desperately for any evidence of them. The light of the flare was almost overhead but she still saw nothing. As they continued to walk, her heart beating plenty hard enough to feel through her ribs, the voices got stronger and the static cleared.

‘Well I guess it couldn’t hurt Io. How long do you think they’ll be now?’ Veera’s heart leaped into her throat as she cried with glee.

“Russell!” Without another word she tore ahead, running right past Ratha and the hunters who were a couple hundred feet ahead of the main group, leaving many confused Cauthan in her wake.

“Veera! What in the name of Valta are you-” Ratha growled before stopping herself, resolving to let the whelp go and do whatever she wanted. “The rest of you stay in formation! We’re getting close. Worst thing you could do would be insulting the gods by getting careless and dying now.”

“Russell! Russell!” Veera yelled as she charged quite carelessly through the snow, hoping to hear something more from her mate. Instead it was Io’s voice.

‘Do you hear that sir?’

‘Hear what Io? I’m not wired directly to the Aegis.’

‘I believe Veera is yelling for you.’ Io’s voice was that of smug satisfaction.

‘She’s what?! Io, signal!’

‘I don’t have anything yet! That translator was never meant for heavy broadcasting, only receiving. Don’t worry; she’ll be here soon enough.’

‘Just point me the right way damnit!’

‘Oh very well, just don’t go hurting yourself.’

‘Bruises won’t kill me Io! The pain is nothing!’

‘Maybe not but tell that to your muscles and internal organs!’ Io’s protests had clearly fallen on deaf ears because eventually Veera was able to make out a tiny, bipedal figure running towards her through the trees.

‘Hello Veera, it’s so good to see you again!’ Io called out to her as Veera dropped her spear and pack to the ground and rushed onward, the feeling of burning lungs and cold air in her chest only helping her come alive. He was alive too. He was ok. They could be together again.

“Veera!” Winters waved as he got close, his armor sporting a few old bloodstains and several long gashes that had Veera’s guts knotting in apprehension. As soon as she was close enough she threw herself at him, rewarded with a twirl or two before he set her down gently in the snow. “Hey you,” he said tenderly, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his hand. She was already crying.

“Your armor…my gods, Russell!” He held her close to him again and tried to comfort her.

“Hey hey now, no need to be like that love. The armor did its job. I’m alive and that thing is dead.”

“You really did it then? You’re really ok?” She asked, barely able to believe her ears.

“A bit beat up I’ll admit, but yeah love, I did it. Wanna come see?” He asked happily, like a child hoping to show off a prized creation to his parents. Veera was a bit less receiving.

“Aren’t you a bit too relaxed about something that almost tore you to shreds?!” She almost yelled, finally allowing all of the stress, anger, and helplessness of the last week to bleed out of her.

‘Ah, now there’s the Cauthan I know and love. How I’ve missed you Veera,’ Io added, grinning and enjoying her partner’s chastisement.

“I missed you too Io. But yes Russell, I would like to see what I hope will save our village,” Veera responded before retreating momentarily to gather her things. Winters followed close to her, unwilling to be too far at any given time now that he had her back within sight.

“Then right this way darling.” He placed an arm around her shoulders as she melted into his side, trying to keep the nervous tension out of his voice. With the blood and damage to his armor grabbing her attention, Veera had missed the rings. He was actually thankful for the armor in that moment. Without it, his body would have certainly betrayed his intentions. After a moments’ walk spent in silence and happiness at simply being together again, Veera saw it.

“By all the gods!” She whispered, breaking his hold and rushing forward to stand at the edge of the clearing where Winters had fought his battle. The carcass had already been partially processed by her mate and by whatever had apparently done away with the internal organs of the beast, but there was no escaping its size. Even dead, the head alone filled her with fear as she placed a hand over her mouth. There was little doubt it could have easily swallowed her whole and she said a small prayer in the hopes that her father had not met such a fate those many years ago. Winters was at her side again soon after, placing a hand on her shoulder as she continued to stare dumbstruck at the jet-black leviathan.

“Merry Christmas Veera,” he whispered, sporting a proud grin under his helmet.

“You can’t do that to me,” she replied softly. “You can’t make me feel like this and…this is too much! How did you?”

“I crippled its leg and then shoved my spear all the way into its brain through its mouth. The thing is still lodged in there actually,” Winters replied jovially.

“And the hyrven?” Veera continued, pointing to the other carcasses that lay about the area.

“Those idiots tested me; so I shot them. The rest actually helped me out and cleaned the carcass so I could start carving it up with my sword. I hope they didn’t give you any trouble on the way here. They should be plenty fat for now,” he said, pointing to a couple of mounds in the snow where he’d stacked cuts of meat for preservation. He could hear his voice become rapid and get away from him as he considered something very much distinct from mangy forest creatures. “But that’s…not what we need to talk about.” He insisted in a serious tone, dropping unsteadily to one knee and removing his helmet. Veera gasped and dropped to her knees right beside him, hands holding his face tenderly.

“Russell, are you hurt? You said you were in pain earlier. Are you alright? You’re severely bruised aren’t you? How bad is it? We can get you home soon, get you somewhere safe.” She fired off questions faster and faster as Winters just stared at her like a deer in the headlights. It was not how he’d imagined this particular scene playing out, and he’d have been nervous enough even if everything had gone exactly according to plan. Io’s laughter soon rang out in their ears. “This is not funny Io!” Veera insisted hotly, feathers quivering and tail whipping back and forth in anxiousness.

‘Oh darling, I think you’ll find that from my perspective it very much is. Now if you could be a dear and stand up so that the Lieutenant can make his speech?’ Veera abruptly stopped moving, mouth hanging open slightly. Winters gulped anxiously.

“S-speech?” She asked in confusion, finally noticing the sun glinting off of something that hung around her mate’s neck. They were two round metal shapes, one slightly larger than the other. The small one was almost white in color with a deep blue inlay, while the other was done in dark metal and a dusky gold. Veera cast her mind back and remembered a certain morning with Io, and another time when she and Winters had walked through the village on the way to meet with her father. “Are those r-r-rings?” She squeaked, standing up and backing away a step. Winters stayed where he was on one knee, looking for all the world like a pack of hyrven was hunting him naked through the forests of Mara. With unsteady hands he reached up and took the chain between his fingers and yanked hard, snapping it and allowing the metal bands to gently fall into his armored palm. Unable to meet her in the eye just then he looked at them instead.

“I was in a dark place when I left Veera. I…made these so I would remember to fight well and to live. I was in a dark place when I met you too, and yet here you are again making my world bright like a striped ray of sunshine. I think I’ve known this for a while Veera but…those nights out in the forest made it clear to me.” As Winters spoke his voice changed from shaky and hesitant to bold and confident. He looked up into her amber eyes, finding them welling with tears and her hands over her mouth. He could see her crest feathers vibrating and waving wildly as she listened to him, chest rising and falling rapidly with shallow breaths. The rest of the world was silent around them, the snow muffling all else. “I don’t know what my future holds. I don’t know if I’m destined to die here on this planet, somewhere in space, or on Earth. I can’t control that. But I can choose how to spend my days until then and I know now that there’s no other woman, Cauthan or human, that I want at my side. Veera, will you marry me?”

As Winters’ words reached her ears Veera was even able to forget the fact that a massive, organic death machine was lying dead in the snow several paces behind her. Veera, will you marry me? She opened her mouth to speak and found her voice had taken flight and deserted her, instead flaring her feathers softly and nodding, the movement finally granting her enough wherewithal to say one word in her mate’s native tongue. “Yes!”

The sight of Winters’ smile in response was enough to warm Veera from nose to tail, banishing the creeping cold of the long journey through the forest. He stood and closed the distance between them, leaning in to plant a searing kiss on her lips, one she eagerly returned before he broke it off far too soon for her liking. “I’m doing this out of order but I just couldn’t resist. May I uh…” He held out his hand. Veera cocked her head at him before Io intervened, her voice flush with utter delight and happiness.

‘Veera, married women traditionally wear their rings on the fourth finger of their left hand. Russell would like to give you yours now,’ Io informed her . She could practically envision the blonde woman jumping up and down with glee in her mind’s eye. Veera did as asked and held up a shaking paw for him, her feathers going slack and flat against her head as he took it gently and slipped the light metal band onto her finger. It fit perfectly. ‘I took your measurements way back when, Veera. I’m so happy I got to use them for something like this,’ Io continued as Winters kissed Veera again before removing his left gauntlet.

“Would you mind?” He asked lovingly, extending his own ring to her. With a breathless nod Veera took the cold metal band between her fingertips and slipped it over his ring finger. “I was thinking we could do the ceremony the next time the moons are full. Antoth might have been onto something about me being protected by the lunar goddesses and-” Winters’ rambling was cut off as Veera threw herself at him and kissed him for all he was worth, the two of them toppling into the snow and expressing to each other their desire to never be parted again. Neither of them were in any position to notice when the rest of the Cauthan hunting party shortly arrived, Ratha throwing up a fist to halt the rest of her men.

“Take a good, long look,” she said, unable to keep a bit of awe and disappointment out of her voice. “You’ll be telling your cubs and grandcubs about this day for the rest of your lives. The tale of the human who slew our greatest nightmare…and fell in love with a mutt.” Ratha said the last word almost affectionately as she watched Veera tenderly embrace the human in the snow. She felt jealously burn inside her at their happiness, but then remembered that unlike every other hunt she’d been on, she now had someone to come home to. She looked to her second in command with a playful smirk. “I think they’ve had enough fun, don’t you?”

“As you say Huntress.”

“Alright then!” She bellowed, causing Winters’ and Veera’s heads to whip around at her with a start. “Stop standing around and gawking at the two of them! This thing’s been dead for days and it looks like the human was good enough to throw in a few hyrven with the deal. Cut the pelts wide and the meat thick; it looks like the human’s got a head start on us already. Who’s ready to be a bloody hero?” A cheer rang out from all the assembled Cauthan as they beheld something truly out of legends. As they descended on the piece and began the work that would start their village on the road to recovery, Ratha walked straight to the head of the ursae and looked it over, taking stock of the damaged eyes and mouth before looking inside to see how the human had finally brought it down. “Now I’ve truly seen everything…” She pulled her head back and looked to the skies. “Thank you Valta.”

As the bustle of activity began to hum all around them Veera remained kneeling in the snow, petting her human’s long hair and thinking about every moment that had brought them to their current place in time. As he reached out to her, his ring shining in her colors, Veera leaned into his touch and purred. Their trials had been many and the past had been dark, but in that moment their small corner of the universe had never felt warmer.

~End~