Vim didn’t travel like how I was used to.

He didn’t stop to rest, even at night. He didn’t stop in any of the towns that we passed through, for food or supplies.

He simply kept walking.

Luckily the pace he walked at wasn’t that bad. But…

“Vim did you make Lomi walk this fast?” I asked him.

We were walking alongside a large river. The path was rather empty, even though not too long ago we had passed a small caravan of carts and horses.

I was walking behind Vim, but only a few strides behind. He carried no bags, and even looked a little under dressed compare to the other men we passed. It was still winter, even if the snow hasn’t fell lately.

“Lomi ran around most of the time,” Vim said without looking back at me.

Frowning at him, I felt sorry for the poor girl. We’d been on the road for a whole day and a half, and as far as I was aware we were not even half way to Ruvindale. He had made that young girl travel like this?

Vim sighed, and then slowed his pace. Wondering what he was doing, I realized a little later than I should have that he was waiting for me to catch up to him. To walk side-by-side.

Hurrying up a little, I went to walking next to him. Suddenly I felt a little out of place, even though there should be nothing wrong with us walking together like this.

“I didn’t walk this fast or this hard with Lomi. It took us over a week to get to Twin Hills from Ruvindale, and I had not allowed her to waste time,” Vim explained.

“Oh… okay,” I nodded, a little surprised he’d explain it in so much detail for me.

He studied me for a moment, and then looked forward. At first I thought he was going to increase his pace, to separate us again… but instead he kept the pace the same. Allowing us to stay next to one another.

“I’m simply hurrying out of concern,” the protector said after a moment.

“Oh… I see. I wasn’t complaining, just… wanted to make sure you hadn’t rushed Lomi is all…” I said, suddenly very aware I probably sounded like I was whining.

“I know. We’ll stop and rest tonight at the river this merges with, which connects to Ruvindale. It’s a few hours away at this pace.”

“I can keep going,” I offered. It’d make me tired, but I’d be alright.

“You can. But we’ve been passing merchants since we left Bordu. Last thing I need is for someone to see us while we’re in Ruvindale, and wondering how we made it there so fast,” Vim said.

“Ah… so you intentionally keep track of such things like that too?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Would a human actually notice?” I asked.

“Wouldn’t you notice if someone outpaced you by leagues?” he asked me back.

Blinking, I hesitated.

Yes. I would have. But not because I was being observant for such things… but because of how rare and ridiculous it’d be.

Though maybe that was the point. In a human’s eyes, I was a young woman. Probably not even old enough to actually be on the road on my own. So to them, me being better or faster at traveling… would indeed be strange and unique.

“Exactly,” he said, noticing my thoughts.

“Can… Can I ask what you expect to find? In Ruvindale?” I asked him.

Vim walked in silence for a few minutes, and I watched his expression. It never changed. He looked as calm and normal as he always did.

That’s a no then, isn’t it?

Looking away from him, I wondered what else I could ask instead.

“I’ll be checking first and foremost that our members are safe. If they aren’t, I make them safe. If they are…” he stopped talking for a moment, and I watched as he lightly shrugged. As if the rest didn’t need to be said.

“If they are?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t get upset at me for inquiring further.

Vim sighed, “If they are I’ll investigate Amber’s cause of death. Just to be sure.”

“Oh.”

He nodded, and I didn’t need to ask for what he’d do next. His tone told me all I needed to know.

“So… you do see Amber as an actual member then, huh?” I asked him.

Vim suddenly stopped, which caused me to come to a stop too. My heartbeat doubled, and I wondered if I had finally asked something I shouldn’t have.

“Amber earned her place in our Society. Just as her mother had.”

My ears went stiff beneath my hat, which I knew caused it to move out of place. But I didn’t reach up to adjust it. Instead I kept hold of the hard gaze before me.

The man before me now genuinely looked like a protector. A warrior.

Suddenly he wasn’t genial or placid. He was…

“I read the letters too,” I said to him, while staring into those stern eyes.

Vim blinked, and then lowered his head. “Yes. I know.”

Gulping a dry mouth, I shifted a little. My tail beneath my pants coiled and twisted, trying to stretch free. Sometimes I couldn’t control it completely.

“What is a human, Renn?” Vim then asked.

For a moment I considered his question, since I knew he wasn’t looking for the obvious answer. It was related to our conversation… at least, somehow.

“Probably anything that is the norm, maybe,” I said.

“Is that how you see it?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Somewhat. Sometimes… sometimes I think of our kind as monsters. While other times I feel we are more human than not,” I said.

“A very human answer,” he said.

“Didn’t say it wasn’t,” I countered.

“Hm,” he nodded, and glanced down the road. Sure enough off in the distance there was a pair of silhouettes. People were headed this way, but were more than far enough away that I didn’t need to worry about them yet.

Even though they were off in the distance, I still reached up to adjust my hat. Just in case.

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“Mork despises humans,” Vim then said, as he returned to walking.

Hurrying to join him, I nodded… even though I hadn’t known that.

“Took his whole family from him. He’s not blind because of his age,” Vim said.

“Humans then,” I said.

Vim shook his head. “No. The humans didn’t take his sight.”

I hesitated, since that meant it had been one of our kind… but… I studied Vim as he remained silent, letting his odd expression answer for him.

Surely not…

“And Trixalla loves them. She cherishes them so much she’d live with them, if she could,” Vim continued.

“Really…”

“Really,” he nodded.

I hadn’t realized that. In fact, I could have sworn Trixalla had made negative comments about the humans…

Yet… that meant the two were mated, married, yet had completely opposing views.

Somehow that made their relationship all the more precious.

“I’ll not get into a deep conversation with you about it, but I will at least let you know that I agree with you,” he said.

“With me?” I asked him, wondering what our conversation about humans had to do with this.

“You saw Amber as an equal, didn’t you?” he asked me.

It was my turn to come to a stop. He slowed to a stop too, but not directly next to me. He stood a few feet away, watching me intently.

“You mean my willing to risk the Society for her,” I said.

He nodded.

“I… I did. And I am sorry that I did that… but…” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“But you’d do it again wouldn’t you?” he asked me.

For a small moment I hesitated. If I answered honestly, would he kill me? Vim didn’t care if those humans might see. He’d simply kill them too, or just ignore them completely. He was that kind of man.

“I’ve failed the same way before,” he then said.

Blinking, I looked away from the approaching humans and to him. He had a soft smile on his face, as he saw something past me. Beyond me. Most likely saw something that had happened long ago.

“It’s hard. To disobey. To break a rule, even though it feels so wrong not to,” he said.

Vim then turned and returned to walking. Although I wanted to continue this conversation, I knew for as long as the approaching pair of men was in earshot he’d not do so.

Following Vim closely, I chose to walk a little closer to him than normal as we passed the two men. They were rugged looking, and both carried large packs on their backs.

Neither looked at us as we passed one another.

Glancing behind us as we passed, I wondered if they had their own secrets too. Their own reasons to go quiet and not meet our eyes.

“Does the Society have rules?” I asked, once the humans were far enough away.

“No. No real ones. Nothing written and obeyed,” Vim said.

“But you do, don’t you?”

Vim’s placid expression changed a little. His eyebrows became a little more arched. His jaw tightened a little. “Rather I have convictions. And I act against those beliefs often,” he said.

What a fancy way of saying you couldn’t abandon anyone you held dear.

“I would think the Society would want a protector who would cherish each and every member,” I argued.

“Don’t sacrifice the village for a single individual,” Vim said.

“What if that individual was a child? Or the hope of the whole bloodline?” I further argued.

“What if that individual was the very danger the village needed protection from?” he countered.

“Ah…” I hesitated, since that was very obviously what others… what Lughes and the others had probably seen me as.

I saw Amber as someone worth saving, no matter the cost.

Once I went into action, I became the very danger they were worried about.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“I’m not the one you need apologize to,” he said.

“Then who? Crane said I couldn’t go back,” I said.

“You can’t. If you step foot into that building I’ll be forced to kill you,” he said.

“Kill…?” I clenched my teeth, upset to hear such a thing.

“What point is there in banishment if it isn’t enforced?” he asked.

“I see…”

Vim nodded.

We walked in silence for small distance. Open rolling hills slowly started to become forest. The river we were following was starting to grow wider, stronger in current.

In the air I could smell something burning. Wood. Maybe a campfire or a forest fire was off in the distance.

The smell was pungent but… somehow relaxing. Alerting yet comforting.

“Lilly brought you to the farm, didn’t she?” Vim then asked.

“Ah… yes. I told you that,” I said. Had he forgotten? He was usually a lot more adept at remembering such details.

“You had. But…” he paused for a moment, and then shrugged lightly, “Honestly I had been upset.”

“Upset…” I whispered, and tried to remember our conversation. The one we had right upon my arrival.

It hadn’t been a long one at all. It had just been me rambling in great detail about everything that had happened. Since from the moment he had left Ruvindale with Lomi, to my standing before him in the wheat fields.

“She hates humans too,” Vim said softly.

“Ah…” I nodded. I had realized that rather quickly with her. Did that mean we were still on our previous conversation?

“Did she tell you what to expect? Upon meeting me?” he asked.

“She said you might kill me before I can explain,” I said.

Vim sighed and nodded, obviously he had expected such an answer.

“I’m glad you didn’t, for the record,” I said gently.

“If she had truly believed you’d have died she most likely would have approached me herself first. And only allowed you in my sight once she convinced me to stay my hand,” Vim said.

“Huh?”

He nodded. “She hates humans. Amber dying is of no concern for her. But you… she’d see you as a potential warrior. Something valuable. She’d protect you, if she could,” Vim explained.

“Oh.” I hadn’t gotten that from her at all.

Warrior? Me?

Glancing down at my hands, I did notice that my nails were a little long. It was really long time I cut them; otherwise I’d nick someone on accident. They were sharp.

Yet, although I had built-in weapons, that didn’t make me much of a warrior.

“I’m not a warrior,” I said honestly.

“Not yet.”

Frowning at his statement, I wondered why he’d say it in such a way. That wasn’t some lighthearted comment, but one made with surety.

“I don’t like killing,” I said softly, hoping to tell him of my thoughts of the matter.

“I figured.”

“Do you want me to be a warrior?” I asked him.

“I don’t want anyone to be a warrior,” he said.

“Do you need me to be a warrior?” I asked instead.

This time he didn’t respond, but he did lower his gaze. Going into thought for a moment, we both slowed down a little. We didn’t stop, but our trek came to a slow pace.

“Some do,” he then said.

“Do… do we have an army? A need for one?” I asked.

“We used to.”

Used to. Great.

Vim pointed ahead, to a larger river off in the distance. “We’ll stop near there for tonight,” he said.

“Okay.”

Walking with him, I realized he hadn’t returned to the pace we had earlier. We were still slowly trotting along, barely walking any faster than I would on a leisure stroll.

Although I had a lot more questions, and now concerns… I realized he wasn’t going to really respond to me anymore. He was now lost in thought. Deeply pondering something.

Studying him as we approached whatever spot he felt was good enough for us to stop and camp at… I realized the man next to me was just as conflicted as any other.

He might be steadfast and quick to act… but he…

He found himself troubled over his choices. His actions. His beliefs.

Yet I knew no matter how troubled he got, he’d never let those troubles distract him. Or cause him to fail.

The river grew louder as we approached, and I wondered if this was one of the reasons he chose such a location. It’d let us sit and talk, without anyone hearing our voices carried along by the wind in the middle of the night… While also being loud enough that he could use it as an excuse to not talk to me at all through the night.

Vim guided me to a slightly flat piece of grassland, near the river. There were logs, and a large rock, all gathered around a small square of dark stones. Obviously others had used this place as a resting spot. I could even see the remnants of old fires, from days if not weeks ago.

“I’ll start a fire,” Vim said as he went to the task.

Nodding, I hoped by the time the fire was lit I could think of a way to reignite our conversation.

After all, depending on what Vim found in Ruvindale here in a few days…

These conversations might be my last, so I wanted to enjoy them as much as I could. Or at least make them worth it.

I'd talk for as long as I could, since these words may be my last.