When I opened my eyes, I didn’t expect to hear the birds chirping or the sun coming up. What’s even more unbelievable is the smell that’s taken over the area. This has to be a dream. I sit up and I swear for a couple seconds I saw Ava looking like she was in that combat mode or whatever it is. I just shrug it off as I find the source of that smell.

Ava has a small animal on a stick…

Did she leave me alone? Was I completely defenseless last night? I’ve already seen half humans and that monster that tried to stop us from leaving, so that means there has to be more than just that.

I could have been killed.

After all of that, I could have been eaten in my sleep.

Before I even make it to the fire, I mutter to Ava, “D-did you leave me alone to get that?“ while pointing to her kill.

Without waiting for an answer, I walk over to the fire to get some of its warmth and as soon as I do, Ava tears off one of its legs and says, “No, it came into our camp area then you know the rest.“

An enormous wave of relief came over me the instant those words left her mouth. My mind was racing at the thought of being alone out here.

She didn’t leave me… alone.

I just let out a sigh and go over to the river and wash my face, trying to get rid of the lasting panic and tiredness. Then I move on to washing off my hair and arms. It’s a good feeling to get a little cleaner after a while of living in filth.

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Of course, I don’t have any soap or a change of clothes. That’s why I’m not trying too hard to get anything besides the bare minimum.

After my little “bath” in the river Ava asks “Do you think you can even make this trip? You look, um, rough. Do you…”

I interrupt her and say, “No thanks, I’ll take the rest of this trip on my own two feet. The only reason I let you carry me before was because we were in an extreme rush.” Ava just nods and says, “Alright.” Then Ava hands me a couple Elven Dedans, a spear, and we begin our journey by going the opposite direction of the place we broke out of again.

For a while I just try to keep pace with Ava but it felt nearly impossible. So far I haven’t seen her get tired, which is a little weird, but that’s overshadowed by the fact I’ve noticed her slow down for me a handful of times.

Trying to distract myself from this, I let my mind wander while I follow Ava like what this town is going to be like and what I’m going to do when I get there.

I can’t just follow Ava around forever like a lost puppy. Heck, I don’t even know what I’m actually doing once I get to Cable. Feeling anxious, I ask Ava, “What are we doing once we get to Cable?”

She doesn’t stop or even turn to me but I hear her say “I have a friend who lives there who can help with housing and other things.” while keeping pace.

Well, that completely goes against the thought of becoming independent, but right now, I don’t have much of a choice. Well, that seems to be a common theme as of late. I can’t help but just take a deep breath and let out a sigh while trying to speed up my pace.

After a while of walking I look for the sun’s position to see where we are in the day but as soon as I do… *Bam* Suddenly I find myself on my back, but the only reaction I give is a laugh. Ava runs over to me and frantically asks, “Are you okay?!” while she looks over me for a second.

I just shake my head while stifling my laughter. The only words I can manage to get out are “I miss clean water and beds…”

Ava lets out a sigh and weakly says, “We’ll have water and beds soon.“

After a brief silence, I collect myself some and mutter, “I’m sorry.“