The storm rattled more than just the window shutters.

A wild wind was blowing, and although the rain was coming and going it wasn’t gentle when it was here.

Right now there was no rain, but the loud roars and rumbles of the storm made up for the lack of rain splattering the windows and side of the inn.

The shutters were on the outside of the glass windows. But they had these little metal hooks that one could latch and secure them with, here on the inside. Vim and I had already secured the three windows in our room, but I could hear the banging of shutters elsewhere. Ones that hadn’t been secured. Not just on this building, but those around us too.

The whole world got bright for a moment, and then the loud boom followed. I didn’t jump at the sound, even though it was loud enough to be startling, but I didn’t like how the very air vibrated thanks to it. It made my ears flutter, as if someone was blowing into them and tickling them.

I didn’t like that feeling. It reminded me of the roars of that Monarch. Of those creatures in Lumen. Of that snake, long ago.

Usually such sounds were followed by pain. Suffering. Sadness. So although I liked storms, and enjoyed them, this part of them really bothered me.

Plus this storm was oddly cold. Usually storms like this made the air warmer, or more humid. Yet right now this inn felt strangely cold, enough to make me glance over at the fireplace nearby. I should light it.

Another massive gust slammed against the inn, causing the shutters to rattle fiercely. I turned to watch the windows for a moment, half expecting one to break at any moment. They didn’t, but I heard something bang off in the distance. Across the street, maybe.

Looking away from the window, I stepped away from it and over to the table where Vim sat. He had a bunch of small wood and metal pieces littering the table, and he was currently shaping one of them into another pin.

He’d already made a handful, and it was very interesting that many of them were unique. He was making them with little designs, most had simple flowers but of different styles. Others had a star, or a moon.

“You could sell these, Vim,” I said as I picked one up. It looked like some kind of rose.

“Hm,” he didn’t seem to care.

I wonder if he made these so cutely for me, or if this was just his artistic side. The comb had been very unique, something that anyone would be able to tell had been tailor made for an individual. Maybe a child. But that had been something personal. A gift. For me.

These little pins were things I broke and lost all the time… so him making them so precious was actually a little concerning for me. What if I broke them? It made me almost want to not use them… even though I really needed to. Especially if these weird sudden storms were going to start popping up. It had hit right as we entered town this morning, and I had almost gotten my ears noticed thanks to it. The heavy winds had blown my hat off, right as we entered the inn.

Luckily no one had been on the lower floor, in the lobby, at the time. I had been able to get the hat back on before the older woman and her husband had emerged from a backroom.

“I can always make more Renn,” Vim then said.

I flinched, and not because of the loud slam from outside. Something had broken and fell over. Maybe a sign. “Huh?”

He nodded as he put down another pin, finished with it. “You can break and lose them. I’ll just make you more,” he said.

The cold room got a little warmer, and I smiled at the man who had just made me blush. He went to making another, as if not even aware he had done so. Likely didn’t.

“How’d you know what I was worried about?” I asked.

“The same way I know when you’re hungry, or upset,” he said.

Hm…?

Oh. I glanced behind me, to my tail. It was twitching and swaying. It of course didn’t look that odd at the moment, but I knew the truth. My tail must have absentmindedly reacted to what I was thinking about.

Really what was I going to do with myself? I was glad that Vim took such notice and care of me, to where he paid attention even to the little details… but… That was also why he wouldn’t tell me certain things. Like his weakness. Because of those very visible emotions I possessed.

I sighed as I pulled back the chair I had been sitting in earlier, to sit with Vim at the table.

Sitting down, I reached over to grab one of the small pieces of metal he was using to form the pins. It was a long, thin, strip. Kind of like a tiny stick. It felt a little rough, and was oddly heavier than the heart in my pocket even though a fraction the size.

Playing with the little metal thing, I bent it and tried to replicate what Vim was doing. He bent them to form, then broke off the excess lengths… then he connected the metal designs to little wooden clips, where the designs were engraved.

“How long do these…” I started to ask.

“Monsoons? Usually only a day or so. Though what happens is in this region, these monsoons come and go. Sometimes back to back. It can be like this on and off for months here. But this one’s pretty bad,” he said.

Yes. It was. This small town wasn’t as small as some of the tiny ones we’d passed through on the way down south… but it wasn’t much bigger either. It was about half the size of Ruvindale, and seemed even less populated. We had arrived right alongside the storm, so hadn’t been able to see many people, or hear any gossip, but I had heard the innkeepers talk and complain about the damages the storm would bring. They had worried the storm would break more than they could afford to fix.

Business was bad. Very bad.

Another city in terrible straits, to prove that Landi had done a lot more harm to the world around her than she should have been allowed to.

Yet I had…

I glanced at the windows nearby, and their noisy rattling. A few of the shutters sounded like they were about to break and fly off at any moment.

A good distraction from my own hypocrisy.

“How much… money does an inn like this make Vim? Is it a decent amount?” I asked.

“Some can make a lot; others barely make enough to survive. For most it’s just enough to keep the owners fed and clothed, and pay whatever tax or city-fees they have. I’ve personally never been a fan of such service centered businesses. They’re long term ventures and investments… which means there are lots of opportunities for things to go wrong,” he explained as he grabbed his little steel knife, to go about cutting and forming the little design he had planned for the new pin.

“Is that why you made Lumen?” I asked as I stopped messing with the metal strip in my hand. I had somewhat shaped it like he had done, but it was obviously not good enough. It bent askew in odd places.

“Lumen, just like the other three companies we’ve had, started the same as the rest. As a simple business front for us to sell the goods and products the Society makes. As to keep all profit in house and our members safe from interacting with human merchants,” Vim said.

“Ah… right.” That made a lot of sense.

“Brandy and the rest were the ones who wanted to make the bank and other branches. I helped, but honestly would not have done the same,” he said.

“Because they draw too much attention,” I said.

He nodded, and blew off some of the wood shavings he was accumulating.

I hummed as I watched him craft, and felt oddly excited. What would it be this time? Another flower? An animal?

The room lit up again, growing bright, as the whole world shook. My ears fluttered again this time, even though I had tried not to let them do so.

“Tickles huh?” Vim asked after the rumbling stopped.

I nodded. “It’s annoying.”

He chuckled at me, and lowered his hands, to pause a moment. “Why ask about the inn Renn?” he asked.

“Ah… I heard the innkeepers. They were worried the storm would damage more than they could afford to fix,” I said.

Vim blinked at me, and I noticed he grew a little softer. His eyes relaxed, his shoulders lowered a little.

“What…?” I asked softly.

“Your heart is mighty Renn. Do you want to start a fire? It’s getting cold, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Can I?” I asked. I glanced to the nearby fireplace. It was rather elaborate, made of nicely made stone. It looked like something Vim or Lellip would make, with care and attention to detail.

“Why wouldn’t you be able to?” he asked as he went back to his pin.

“Nory had not liked us making a fire during storms. Worried the wind would make the fire spread,” I said as I stood and went to light the fire.

Vim chuckled behind me as I kneeled before the fireplace, to gather up the small wood chunks and pieces as to start the fire. “Your little cabin must have been rather breezy,” he said.

Hesitating a moment, I slowly put one of the logs down and glanced at him. “It had been!” I said.

He glanced at me and smiled, nodding in understanding.

“We did our best you know! We actually spent months making it, and we tore down and rebuilt whole walls several times. We tried really hard to make extra rooms too, but no matter what we did…” I used the little fire starter to strike the fire alight. It started gently, and almost went out, but eventually took hold and grew into a proper flame.

Stepping away from the fire, I wiped my hands and glanced at the nearby door. This room was actually rather large. Far bigger than a usual inn’s room, but the door looked relatively normal. I stepped over to it, and pointed at the way the door laid flush. “See? We couldn’t get this done right. No matter what we did, we just couldn’t stop this huge crack from forming around the door frame. It let in a lot of cold air, and animals and stuff. Mice and things. Nory hated it so much, so we eventually gave up and just made the cabin one big room,” I told him.

Vim had put aside his little pin and turned to see what I meant. “I see,” he said.

Nodding, I then pointed at the nearby bed. “Our beds too! I thought we had done well, but after sleeping in all the beds in the Society I’ve realized how horrible ours had been. I wish Nory could have slept in some of these beds… I bet she’d have loved them,” I said.

“Beds are hard to do right,” Vim agreed.

“I use to get fleas, you know. During the summer,” I said, and kept my eyes on the bed… to not look at him. It was a little embarrassing to say.

He chuckled. “I’m sure! A lot of our members have similar problems. That or lice. I actually get a letter every so often for that very reason, to help them get rid of mites or lice or something. Usually in the bigger villages, like Tor’s or the Bell Church,” Vim said.

Hesitating, I glanced at the man who had just so calmly said something so terrifying. “Wait really? It gets that bad?” I asked.

Vim nodded. “Yeah… I mean they all know how to get rid of them by now, but sometimes it takes a little more… oomph? There’s a way to use steam to get rid of bugs, that even though I’ve tried to teach a lot of people no one seems able to utilize it. Or they’re scared of it or something, so they call on me to do it for them,” he said.

“Do bugs bother you Vim?” I asked as I crawled onto the bed, to sit and talk to him this way. The fire was working already, warming the cold room, but it was still cold enough I didn’t want to sit on the chair.

“No. Usually never do. I’ve messed with like nests, or bee hives, and can usually manhandle them without a single sting,” he said.

“Like the animals,” I said with a nod.

He nodded back.

“But… dogs and cats notice you? I’ve seen you pet both,” I said.

“They’re bigger, and can see me. Even they usually are a little unaware of me at first too. It helps to talk and make noises, to let them know that even if they can’t smell or sense me, I’m not anything weird,” he said.

Hm… “What about when you go all invisible?” I asked.

He frowned at me. “Invisible?”

I nodded as I gestured around us. “Sometimes you just… disappear. Then appear again, usually behind me or something.”

Leaning against his chair, he turned a little more as to face me more directly. The bed was behind his chair. “That’s just me being sneaky Renn, I don’t actually disappear or anything,” he said with a smirk.

“Somehow I doubt that. Is that some secret I’m not supposed to know?” I asked.

Vim shook his head. “No? I really don’t know how to disappear or anything. But I can see why you’d think so. You’re not the first to ask or question it. I believe it’s because of your heightened senses,” he said.

“My senses…?” I crawled a little closer to the edge of the bed, to be closer to him.

Vim sat up a moment, as to turn his chair. So that he more properly faced me as well. “You and the others. The Non-Humans. Your senses are far better than a humans, more akin to animals. They’re heightened and more alert, more attune to the more subtle sounds and smells. So, because I lack such things, it tricks you. It’s precisely because you’re more observant that it makes it so much easier for me to sneak up on you all,” he explained.

I crossed my arms as I tried to comprehend what he was saying. He was basically saying that the reason I sometimes mistook him, or his presence, was because I was… too focused? Really?

“I know. Makes little sense. But it’s a thing. When one’s hyper-focused, sometimes the obvious is what they miss,” he said.

“I suppose… I guess it makes sense. When I’m fighting for my life, I actually do sometimes have to struggle to remember what happened. For instance I can remember every moment before, and after, being kidnapped in Lumen. But there’re a few things that are hazy while it all occurred,” I said.

He nodded. “Exactly. For you though that’s likely thanks to the adrenaline and pain. You had cracked your head something fierce, Renn,” he said gently.

I reached up to touch the spot. I didn’t feel it anymore. No more wound. No more scab, but somehow I did feel as if I felt something. Maybe the hair was thinner there, or something.

“I had, huh,” I mumbled.

He nodded. “Such injuries can do odd things. Be thankful only your memory is a little fuzzy. A small price to pay,” he said.

“Hm…” I nodded as I scratched behind one of my ears, since my hand was up there anyway. Hopefully that itching wasn’t a flea, it’d be rather ironic to get some for the first time in a long while just because I had spoke of them.

“I appreciate you making those pins Vim… but why not rest?” I asked as I patted the bed.

Shadows from the fire danced on Vim’s face as his eyes narrowed at me. “The fact you say such a thing like that in such a way while having absolutely no hidden meaning is why,” he said.

Hesitating, I took a moment to decipher his words… and then felt my face grow hot. Hotter than the fire. Hot enough to almost wish I hadn’t started said fire. “Vim…!” I groaned.

He chuckled at me and turned back around, to go back to his pins. “I will later. We’re only a week or so away from the weaver, and since we might stay there for a short while I think we might stick around here for a few days. If that’s okay with you,” he said.

“Huh…? Yeah. I’m okay with that,” I said excitedly. Stay here for a few days? Of course…! Even if the town was somewhat small, and right now not something I could venture out in… at least not without looking like a crazy person, thanks to the storms.

Sitting on the bed, I smiled happily as I watched him go about carving another pin. I liked how he focused on his task, even if he looked bored as he did so.

“Honestly, she’s become more of a seamstress lately. I probably shouldn’t call her a weaver anymore,” he said.

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“Hm…?”

He put the pin down and went to make another. “Her husband had been the one to form the clothes themselves. She had been the one to make the materials. When he passed she took up the mantle,” he said.

Oh… “He died?” I asked.

Vim nodded as he went to carving. “Only two of their children had been born like you. The rest had… more human blood than not. In fact last time I visited only two were still alive. But even with that said, their family has grown exponentially. One of her children partnered with one of Merit’s friends. A duck. It’s funny, really,” he said.

“Funny…?” I asked. “And a friend of Merit? Really?”

He nodded again and then flinched, and I had to lean a little as to see why. I couldn’t see the reason, but I did watch as Vim tossed the pin he had been working on into a different pile. One full of bent and broken pieces.

He had broken it for some reason. Had that been a genuine accident, or because of my question?

“The weaver is a bird. But she married a fox, similar to Lomi. Her children both ended up with birds themselves, even though they were both more fox than not. One’s still with her. The other is…” Vim went quiet, then still.

“Wait…” I wasn’t liking where the odd look on his face was taking the conversation.

Vim sighed and nodded. “Yeah… Lomi’s village,” he groaned as he reached up to squeeze his eyes.

“Aw… Vim…” I felt cold again as I watched him rub his eyes.

“Hopefully the Chroniclers letters have reached them by now. If not we’ll once again be the bearer of horrible news,” he said softly.

I gulped, and remembered Riz. Another one of those moments…?

“Did… did Lomi know them?” I asked.

Vim took a breath and tilted his head as he thought of it. “I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember…? Vim…” I wanted to toss a pillow at him.

“Yeah… surely not right?” he shifted in his chair, now uncertain.

“Please don’t tell me Lomi’s related to them, and you could have taken her there. To her rightful family,” I complained.

“Lomi hadn’t smelled like a bird at all,” he said as he turned to look at me.

Was that defensive attitude for himself, or me? “Vim…” I groaned.

“I know. Shit. This is what I get for categorizing everyone by their traits,” he mumbled at himself.

“That’s not a good enough of an excuse…! What if she’s related to them? What will you do?” I asked as I crawled closer to the edge of the bed, in case I needed to step off the bed and shake him.

Vim though said nothing.

“Vim…!” I swept my legs off the bed, to accuse him some more. To question him. To find out what we were going to do!

“I’m thinking Renn,” he said softly.

“Think faster!”

“I can’t. I’m not like you,” he argued.

“Then think aloud!” I ordered.

“By now Lomi’s either set up roots, or she’s grown to hate it there. If she hates it there, taking her to the weaver is the best course of action. However, if she has decided to make a life there with Porka and the rest then…” Vim actually obeyed. I nodded, listening intently as he continued, “Then there’s the question of what’s best for Lomi. Those at the weaver are birds, but mostly human. A dying family. Half will not feel safe with Lomi, being thick of blood as a predator. The other half will die before she even matures.”

“Gods Vim…” I groaned at him.

“What… You asked?”

“I did…” I complained. So it was a bad scenario all around. “If she made a home there? What then?” I asked.

“That’d be for the best. Our hope is she chooses one of Porka’s kids as a mate, to continue the bloodline,” he said.

“Playing god again,” I noted.

“I know, Renn,” Vim said softly.

Squeezing the blanket on the bed, I glared at the man who looked hurt. For once.

“I sent Lomi a letter. In Lumen,” I said.

“I know. Gerald asked me for permission before he sent it. Remember?”

Growing angry for a new reason, I huffed at him. “Why the heck did I need your permission, Vim?” I asked.

“They were weary of you Renn,” he said gently.

“You’re making it very hard for me to love them,” I said.

He nodded. “It’s very difficult, yes.”

About to agree, and go off on a tangent about those in Lumen… I hesitated and realized what he had just said.

Gulping at the man who had just fully agreed with me, for good reason, I realized once again what Vim meant by protecting those we hated.

Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as I tried to relax my emotions. I was heated now… angry… which was very upsetting. I had just been so happy, and warm, and content…

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and Lomi won’t be related to them,” Vim said softly.

“Is fate ever that kind?” I asked.

“No.”

I leaned back and fell against onto the bed. Rubbing my face into the smelly blanket, I groaned a cry.

“The Chronicler should have noticed, though, Renn. That’s part of her job. If she had family still, then…” Vim’s voice was a little distant as I buried my head and ears into the bed.

“How would we even prove it?” I asked. My voice sounded muffled thanks to the bed.

“We’ll need to compare names. There could be a generation or two gap between Lomi’s parents and those from the weaver’s family. I think I took them to the fox village a long time ago. At least fifty years ago,” Vim said.

I sniffed as I sat up, to look at him. “You sure?” I asked.

He nodded. “Very. We had not passed through Ruvindale, but I think I made a stop there after dropping them off. Ruvindale had not been as fancy, not even half as big back then I think.”

For some reason that made me feel a little better. “So… her parents might have been the children, or grandchildren, of those from the weaver’s?” I asked.

He nodded.

Sighing a little in relief, I nodded. “That’s good.”

“Is it?” he asked.

“Yeah…? That means that Lomi’s more fox than not. It means it very well might be better she stay with Porka and the rest, even if she was related to them,” I said.

Vim frowned at me. “You’re not upset anymore?” he asked.

“Of course I am! But… that makes it a little better,” I said.

Vim didn’t seem to really agree with me, and I sighed as I laid back down. This time on my back. “What a whirlwind,” I said as I realized the storm was still blowing strong. I had completely forgotten about it.

“Hm…” Vim didn’t seem to agree, but I knew it was because he was still bothered. Still ashamed.

But he should be…! Forgetting such an important thing… really…

“How many of our members are related to each other, Vim?” I asked while staring up at the ceiling. I saw a large cobweb near one of the larger banisters. It looked newer, maybe even freshly made. I didn’t see the spider anywhere, but now I was looking for it.

“More than you’d think, to a degree. It’s rare for predators and prey to mingle, so I should have remembered this one. Even if the offspring had mostly been human,” he said.

“Is that why you forgot? Their human children?” I asked.

Vim didn’t answer for a moment, and then he sighed. “Yes,” he admitted.

“And here I thought you didn’t hate humans that much,” I said as I rolled over a little, as to stare at him and to stop looking for the spider. It was likely just hiding thanks to the storm. And us. We were noisy.

“I try to keep my hate evenly spread. But no… the reason I stop thinking about them is because there’s no need to. It only takes a few trips throughout the Society for them to either die, or disappear. Leaving for one reason or another,” he said.

“Hm…”

“Cruel. I know. But it’s reality, Renn,” he said.

“I know,” I said softly.

The fire popped, and my tail twitched because of it. It thumped against the bed, and I focused on it… to calm it down a little.

“You were upset with me, huh,” Vim then said.

“Mhm,” I nodded.

“Good,” he said softly.

“Mhm,” I nodded again. That was what he wanted from me, after all. To keep him in check. I wasn’t sure yet what to think, but for now it just meant I’d need to keep tabs of everyone and everything. Who knows how many others he’d… simply overlooked or forgotten. Not on purpose, of course, but simply because he was… well…

Vim was stretched thin… wasn’t he?

Over two hundred years. That’s what he had said. Two hundred years since Celine had died. That meant he’s been the Societies protector for even longer. All this time… and it was just him. All of this responsibility, thousands and thousands of lives, on his shoulders.

It was a little concerning, and alarming, but I knew I needed to share some of that burden. Even though I knew my tiny shoulders wouldn’t be able to carry much.

Though maybe I didn’t need to carry the Society, or any of the members… maybe all I needed… was just to…

Let him rest against me occasionally, when he needed it… and…

“Renn.”

I blinked, and turned… and found Vim smiling at me… and he was…

“Huh…?” I groaned as I flinched at the bright light. Vim was oddly bright, as if illuminated from behind by…

Sitting up quickly, I groaned as I realized I had fallen asleep. The room was warm. Very warm. And not just because I had a bunch of blankets on me. The windows were all wide open, and the bright hot sun was happily rushing in.

Vim chuckled at me. “I’d usually let you sleep Renn, but it seems there are no restaurants in town that are open right now. And the inn-lady will only cook some for you if you’re there with me. I think they’re worried over wasting food. They don’t want to cook anything that might not get eaten. I can’t blame them, really, but it’s annoying,” he said.

Oh… my stomach noisily told Vim what I thought of that, and he laughed at me as he pulled the blankets off me. Revealing that although still dressed, Vim had been nice enough to take off my shoes for me.

“I slept the whole night?” I asked.

“You must have been tired,” he said as he stepped away from the bed and bent down. Half a moment later he was offering me my boots.

I must have been, but honestly hadn’t noticed. Vim and I had been journeying quickly, at a faster pace than usual, but it hadn’t felt like we were really straining ourselves. Or rather, I hadn’t felt the strain. I knew Vim wouldn’t have noticed even if he had been running the whole way.

Maybe I was still exhausted from Lumen… honestly it wasn’t as if we’d really spent very long to rest in any singular place. Even in Secca, where we had stayed for almost a whole month, I had not rested. I had been up at the dawn, and worked all day alongside Riz and the rest.

Maybe Vim was right…

After putting my shoes on… I realized something odd. I studied my palms… I didn’t expect to see anything obvious, like blurriness or a slight trembling, but I felt as if I should. However they were oddly… clammy. A strange layer of sweat was on them, for no reason. Maybe I had squeezed my hands tightly all night? And while under the covers, in this hot room, had sweated more than usual?

“Renn?” Vim’s soft question drew my eyes upward, to a face full of worry.

“Vim…?” I asked softly.

Then his hand was on my forehead, causing me to go still.

His hand covered most of my head, and even most my sight. It was a little shocking, and not just because of what he was doing. Had his hand always been so big? It felt strangely rough, and…

A little too cool, honestly.

“You’re sick,” he told me what I had already felt.

“You’re kidding me…” I blinked as my eyes quickly grew watery.

“No… I’m not,” Vim sighed as he pulled his hand away, and I felt the rush of hot air that followed his movement.

Rather… it was likely not the air that was hot, but me. Maybe that was why the room felt so warm… it wasn’t just because of the sun.

“Is it that plague? The sickness…?” I asked worriedly.

“I don’t know yet,” he said as he knelt a little, as to stare into my eyes.

I blinked the blurry him away, and stared into his eyes. I couldn’t help but smile at him as he studied me with a very worried expression. Had he ever been this close before? Maybe when I had kissed him but… that had been a fleeting moment and…

I could kiss him right now. He was close enough. Just a little lean forward and…

“It might just be a fever. But the timing is very concerning…” he said as he stared at something in my eyes, and frowned. The way he tilted his head made me give up on the wonderful idea of trying anything funny. He looked far too serious right now, and would likely grow upset with me.

“Can you not tell?” I asked. If anyone could it’d be him.

“Not yet. Your pupils don’t have any hint of a sickness or anything too severe… but you’re not a human Renn. Your immune system will fight it differently than them, so it might take time for such a thing to become obvious.”

Vim’s eyes squinted, and I noticed a small scar on his upper right eyelid. It ran up his eyelid to right under his eyebrow, and seemed to be the cause of a few missing eyelashes.

Interesting. I had seen small scars and stuff on him before, so I knew he had them… but it was still shocking to see any on him. I wonder how he got them even though he seemed to heal so flawlessly. Or maybe the scars just faded over time? Or was it a matter of how much damage he received, or what type?

Wait…

“Is that scar because of me?” I asked as I reached up, to touch his face.

“Hm?” he let me touch the side of his face, and obviously had no idea what I was talking about.

But how could he? As far as I was aware Vim never looked in any mirrors, or cared to.

I felt horrible though. It likely was. It was the same eye I had punctured… and did kind of look like a small cut from something sharp and pointy. Like my nail had been at the time… and it would have been in that same spot too and…

“You’re sick Renn,” he said as he reached up to touch my hand, which was rested against his cheek.

I nodded. Was my hand hot to him? His face felt cool.

He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m sorry,” he then said.

“What for…?” I asked.

Vim though didn’t answer. He just… held my gaze. Ever gently.

I smiled at him. “You can’t seriously blame yourself Vim,” I said.

“I can and do.”

Although I wanted to argue with him, rather fiercely, I couldn’t help but feel a little warmer because of how seriously he had said such a thing.

He really did.

How kind of him.

“If it is that… plague thing, what do I do?” I asked.

“First… open your mouth,” he said.

“Huh…?”

He nodded and stuck out his tongue. “Like so,” he said after showing me.

I giggled at him.

“Renn…” he groaned at me but I nodded quickly.

“Okay! Jeez…” I stopped teasing him as I did as he asked.

Vim studied my tongue for a moment, and then nodded to let me know I could stop.

It felt oddly dry all of a sudden, as I used it to lick my lips. “Well?” I asked.

“I can’t tell if it’s the plague or pox yet or not. But for now we’ll act as if it is. Just in case,” he said.

“Okay. What do we do then?” I asked.

“We will keep you healthy. First thing first…” he stepped away, and I wanted to growl at him as he stepped away. I had somewhat hoped he'd have asked me to do more weird stuff.

Glaring at him as he walked over to the side of the bed, I watched him lift my leathers.

Oh? I glanced down and realized he had removed them too. I was just in my clothes. My under-layer stuff. The loose stuff that was beneath my real clothes, and leathers. I hadn’t even realized he had undressed me to such a point.

For some reason I found that very funny.

“Here.”

Looking up, I squinted at the brightly shining orb.

“Huh?” I reached up to take Beak’s heart from him, and felt the warm thing pulsate as it fell in my hands.

“Keep it close. To your chest,” he said.

“Okay… wait…? That…? This will actually help?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“It will. No. You can’t eat it or put it in your womb, don’t get any funny ideas,” he warned me.

Smirking at him, I moved the heart closer to my own. “Funny ideas?” I asked him.

He ignored me and moved some of the pillows around. To make a spot for me to rest against.

“I’ll go get you food. Or make it myself if none of these damned humans won’t,” he said.

“You can’t blame them Vim. Especially during a famine,” I said.

“Yes I can. We’ll likely only be able to stay here a few days, unless I want to kill everyone,” he then said.

“Huh! Why would you do that?” I asked worriedly as he finished messing with the pillows.

“They’ll not take kindly to someone sick sleeping in their home,” he said gently.

Oh. Right… “Wait… they’ll get sick too then won’t they? Maybe we should…” before I could finish my thoughts, Vim stepped over to me and actually picked me up. I let out a tiny yelp as he moved me back to the center of the bed, dropping me against the newly stacked pile of pillows.

He was kind enough to do it in a way that didn’t hurt my tail, but he still kind of just plopped me down.

“You. Rest. Unless you need to use the restroom you’re not leaving this bed,” he ordered as he went to taking my boots off.

“Jeez Vim,” I complained as he untied my laces.

“Sleeping is one of the best cures for such an illness. Go back to bed. Rest,” he ordered again.

I sighed as Vim pulled the blankets back up over me. I suddenly felt hot again. “It’s hot,” I complained.

“It actually isn’t. It’s a little humid but that’s it. Plus a little sweating would do you good,” he said.

It wasn’t…? Great. I figured, but it worried me to hear it.

“Honestly I don’t feel too sick. My head doesn’t really hurt or anything,” I said. I did feel clammy and hot… but…

“That’s good.”

“Have I been coughing or not?” I asked. Some of the people we’d seen that were sick had coughed, but not badly enough. It was why those checkpoint quarantine places had been so serious. Other than the spots and severe fever it was hard to tell sometimes if one was sick or not.

“You did. While sleeping. But not enough to alarm me, I thought it was just this bed. It’s kind of musty,” he said.

“It is actually…” I agreed and complained with him. It needed to be aired out.

Sitting on the side of the bed, Vim sighed as he reached over and gently touched me on the cheek.

“Can’t you get me medicine or something?” I asked him.

“I plan to. I’ll go find the local herb grower or collector and see what I can get. For now keep that heart close. Stay in bed unless absolutely necessary. I’ll be back shortly,” he said.

I nodded, which made his fingers brush into my hair.

“Will you be okay?” I asked.

“Hm? Oh. Yes I’ll not get sick. No disease of any kind on this earth can affect me,” he said.

On this earth… “You say things very oddly sometimes, Vim,” I reminded him.

He smiled at me. “I know. Need anything before I go?”

“Can you make me some of those berry drinks?” I asked.

He frowned, and was about to say no… but decided instead to smile and nod. “Sure. Anything else?”

“I don’t like the soups you make. So please try to convince someone else to make them, if you could,” I begged.

He laughed at me and nodded. Standing from the bed, I had to stop myself from reaching out for him. I hadn’t wanted him to go yet.

“I’ll be back, Renn. It’ll be okay. You’re strong, and I’m here,” he said confidently.

“Mhm. Don’t be long or I might get funny ideas,” I said as I lifted the heart a little, to slide it out from under the covers and show it to him.

Vim hesitated near the door, and then glared at me. “Funny,” he said without a hint of humor, and then left the room.

Giggling at him, I smiled happily as I held Beak’s heart close… and went to watching the sun’s rays peer into the room, while listening to the sounds of distant voices and birds. Chirping happily.

They sounded almost as happy as I felt. Which was funny, since I was sick.

Last time I’d gotten sick… had hurt. And not just physically. It had been a very lonely experience. And the dreams had been horrible.

The pink heart thumped against my chest, sending a wave of warmth through me. Although I was hot, the warmth was somehow cooling. Like a breeze.

It felt good. Almost as good as knowing Vim would be taking care of me. That I was in safe hands.

I’d only gotten sick a few times in my life. One of them had almost resulted in my death, but had also led to me meeting Nory. The other times though… well…

“At least this time I’m not alone,” I whispered as I drifted back to sleep.