Insights


The boy found himself lying on his back, pain pulsating through every muscle in his body. He tried to breathe in, however, it seemed that the hit to his gut managed to knock all the air out of his lungs.

His Founder had taught him the basics of hand-to-hand combat months prior, and now she expected him to use it in a practical sense. This 'practical sense' found itself in the form of daily spars.

These spars had simple rules: His Founder was only allowed to fight defensively, and the spar would only end when he either was unconscious or landed a hit.

"This spar has barely begun, yet you are already struggling to continue."

He knew she was holding back.

"But… your… too… strong…" He wheezed out as rolled over onto his belly, before erupting into another coughing fit, saliva and trace amounts of blood dripping out of the helmet's visor, staining the snow-covered pit they were in.

"It matters not how strong your opponent is compared to yourself." She chastised. "There are many enemies who were strong that were felled by cunning warriors such as ourselves."

Between gasps, he could hear her voice laced with disappointment as her footsteps crunched in the snow as she circled him.

"If you think I am training you to be a simple instrument of brute strength, you are mistaken." Although he could not see her eyes, he could feel the disappointment. "Again!"

As the cold air rushed back into his lungs as he recovered, he struggled to get back to his feet, and through bleary eyes, focused on the gold helmet she wore, he charged her with a fist ready to be thrown.

His senior shook her head as she proceeded to throw him off his feet once more with a low kick.

"If a punch as soft as that is enough to put you down, you won't make it far as a Mando'ade." She asked, voice returning to its normal tone. "Where is that fire I saw that one night? Was it extinguished with the lives in that village?"

He felt his fist clench as he once more attempted to get up.

"Was it just a fluke that you survived that night? Or was it your skill that allowed you to preserve?" She put her arms out. "Now again!"

Gritting his teeth, he wanted to simply charge her and try to punch her, but it hadn't worked any of the times prior.

Think! He panted as he thought back to that night.

What allowed me to win?

In a second, he remembered: The thought of his sister, and what she would do.

She would fight smarter, not harder.

If she was to ever fight, he had a feeling she'd be as cunning as a fox. She would undoubtedly be a better hunter than himself.

Taking in his surroundings, his eyes shot to the ground, and saw the snow.

Leveling his breathing as best as he could, he charged once more, his right fist readying a punch.

As he expected, she prepared to throw him off his balance, however, his other hand had a bunch of snow, which he threw straight at her visor.

"Better!" She sounded impressed, before dodging out of the way. "But predictable!"

Effortlessly, she grabbed his right forearm and in the blink of an eye, he found his feet off the ground

What he could see was the backside of her helmet and the entirety of her back.

As quickly as he was airborne, he landed outside the pits bound, hitting the ground hard.

Dazed and in intense pain, he found the world around him fading to black.

"You might make it yet." He could hear her say before passing out

… …

The farm was as tranquil as it normally was on any given day. The sun had just risen above the horizon, and the rooster's first caws could be heard in the distance, signaling the start of a new day.

Cow Girl was surprisingly up early this day.

It had been a week since her friend had re-entered her life, and it seemed that their schedules varied quite differently. She never managed to catch him before he left or whenever he came home, however, she figured there would be no way she'd miss him at the crack of dawn.

However, it was easier said than done, as she stood right outside the room she believed him to be in, her hand resting on the doorknob.

"O-okay…!"

Having taken a breath to steel herself, she opened the door and burst into the room.

"Good morning! The sun's up! …erk."

She had tried her best to be as cheery as possible, however as her eyes scanned the room, she could see that it was empty.

The room was quite bare, only a straw bed with a blanket resting atop it, and a worn wooden chair in a corner.

Walking in, she could see that despite how 'neat' this bare room was, it was clear that there were no traces of it having been used in the past day.

She closed her eyes as she scratches her cheek in embarrassment, it seemed that she had missed him yet again.

I guess he went out already… or maybe he's still out?

Taking a closer look at the objects in the room, it looked like they had not been used in the past week.

She settled her well buxom bottom atop the straw bed and sighed.

"…I only want to talk to him…"

It seemed that they were less of old friends and more of landlord and tenant.

"Are adventurers that busy?"

She asked herself aloud, however she didn't have a clue.

In fact, she didn't know a single thing about them, even though she lived up the worn and trodden path of a town that hosted a branch of the Adventurers Guild.

For five years, she had been living in her own little bubble while the world around her continued to turn, and now wished that she had the courage to go out more.

Biting her lip, she knew how to remedy this issue. Smoothing over the sheets she had disturbed, she made her way to the kitchen, determination visible in her stride.

Her uncle was sitting in his chair, taking a moment to relax after the morning meal before engaging in the many laborious tasks that laid ahead of him. Putting tobacco in his pipe which he held, he quickly noticed her.

"You're up early."

"Uncle…" She began with her usual meek voice, however, she slowly raised her voice as she continued. "Do you have any deliveries to make in town today?"

Honestly, most of that sentence was rushed and uneasy, as if at any moment she might've lost her nerve, however her uncle didn't seem to mind, only mildly surprised by her forcefulness.

Pursing his lips, he nodded. "I do…" He leaned forward, eyes slightly narrowing. "Why'd you ask?"

"I'm going with you!"

Now, this seemed to catch him completely off guard as his eyes widened as his pipe fell out of his hand.

It was completely unlike her to want to go into town, and she didn't exactly want to either, however every journey no matter how big or small started with the first step.

… …

The young man had recently reached his destination.

He remembered the details of the quest: A few goblins had been sighted on the outskirts of a mining town, and the town's elder wished to deal with them sooner rather than later.

He didn't know much about goblins as of yet, however, he was eager to learn what was the situation with these.

He was tasked with defending the town from said goblins. What he did not expect to see was another party engaged with his prey. To him, however, it mattered not as killing the goblins was the top priority.

It seemed that one had attempted to escape in his direction, and he quickly separated its head from its torso with a swift strike from his Beskad.

"Hey, he went that way!" A boy in a half plate called out.

"Surround 'em, that'll make it easy!" Another with an axe in hand stated.

"But don't let down your guard. Goblins are monsters too!" A robed man, presumably a monk of sorts called out.

"Don't think I don't know that!" The party leader called back, swinging his two-handed sword mightily at the goblins.

"GROORB?GOORBGBGBGORG?!"

The goblin screamed as the sword cleaved straight into its back. Whatever it was holding dropped to the ground.

"Yikes… no one's gonna be eating that for dinner…"

"Look out! Over there!" A ranger with pointy ears pointed.

"Gnomes! Undines! Make for me the finest cushion you will see!"

The half-elf poured out her canteen full of water; it bubbling on the ground before merging with the ground and catching the goblins' feet.

"Snare!"

"GROORB?"

The lamb within its arms bah-ed as the goblin gripped it harder, however it mattered not as the warrior with the ax slashed it down.

"That makes three." A monotoned voice stated as he walked up to the now-dead goblin, the ranger running up and picking up the lamb.

"We're even on kills now." The one with the ax patted the back of their party leader, letting out a hearty chuckle.

"Yeah yeah, next time will be different." He rubbed the back of his head, sheathing his blade.

"And without injury too." The robed one seemed pleased with the results of the engagement, before turning to the most armored of the three. "And you?"

"No problems." He responded without any emotion.

The other party had completely dropped their guard now, joking amongst themselves and chattering, as if the danger of the battlefield had completely disappeared. The Mandalorian here knew better.

Observing the bodies, he could see that these goblins had a few glancing scars, and looked rather thin compared to other goblins he had killed. This one's rib cage was practically protruding forward and its gut was non-existent.

"It doesn't appear to come from a nest." The beskar helmed man stated.

"I agree." The monk rubbed the top of his bald head, before crouching down next to its body. Then he poked around its body, seemingly unperturbed by the corpse of the monster. "This creature is severely malnourished as if it hasn't had steady food for a week, maybe two. Like a vagabond or a wanderer?"

"A wanderer?" Flicking the blood off his Beskad, he sheathed it, turning the 'T' shaped visor to the monk, his attention now fully on him.

"Like a bear with no den." He gestured to the dead goblin. "The word describes a goblin with no nest."

"Anything else?"

"Er…" The monk now rubbed the stubble on his chin. "I'm afraid there's not much else I can say… I don't know that much about goblins."

"I see." This marked the end of the conversation between the two, returning to his constant vigilance.

"You're quite well equipped, but still doing goblin slaying quests." A hand landed on his shoulder, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see the leader of the party. "If you'd like, you're welcome to join us on our next quest, it'll get you the experience we all need in our trade."

"Is that so?" Was all he said. "Is it goblins?"

"Hell no," The leader stated, a confused look on his face. "The quest is to explore a mine."

"Yeah, I heard they stopped getting gold out of it." The Half-elf added.

"The suspicion is that there's a monster down there." The Dwarf nodded. "Gotta say though I never expected to run into another adventurer on this quest."

He supposed it made sense, they were on a quest to eliminate these wanderers. It was only by chance they met up in the same town.

"This has to be more than chance." The party leader spoke once again, with friendliness in his voice. "Him and I registered on the exact day after all." He heartily smacked him on the shoulder. "So how about it, come with us on our next—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the goblin which was at the feet of the half-elf attempted to lunge at her.

Catching almost all of them by surprise, she certainly would've been wounded if it weren't for the quick reaction of the Mandalorian, quickly subduing the goblin.

"No." He answered the question. "There are goblins to slay."

Drawing his father's dagger from its sheathed position on the underside of his right forearm, he stabbed it in the gut, the life slowly fading from its eyes.

And without hesitation, he split the goblins belly wide open, in a fashion that a hunter would do to freshly hunted game.

The Half-Elf retched as she used her free hand to cover her mouth and nose from the stench, whereas the monk besides her frowned. "Sir, what are you doing?"

"Investigating." He stated with no emotion or disgust, his mechanical movements uninterrupted by the line of questioning. Pulling out guts and his head tilting inquisitively, he spoke once more. "I don't know much about goblins either."

The party looked at one another, as if there was something wrong with him, however, they did not make any effort to stop him. They could not be blamed for leaving him to his own devices as he continued the field dissection of his preferred prey.

After all, knowing his foe would help in their demise.

Once having finished with the bodies, he took a mental note of his findings before burning them.

He would stay an additional night in the case that there was another group lying in wait or made their presence known.

… …

Cow Girl and her uncle had spent most of the morning walking around town, and she was surprised by how much it had changed within the past five years. For starters, it certainly seemed larger than it had been in years past, and people from all walks of life seemed to have made this their permanent home.

She also hadn't realized how much business their little farm seemed to get, as she met many of her uncle's clients, many of which owned inns and taverns within said town. It seemed that the dairy and meats produced on their farm were preferred, and most likely more convenient to purchase.

However, none of that mattered when they made their final stop around noon.

"Wh…Whoa…" The young woman exhaled as she felt out of breath at the amount of activity surrounding the single building.

The building in question was none other than the Adventurers Guild. A steady stream of men and women walking in and out of the building was shocking. Every other building she had passed by had only a fraction of the activity that graced this guildhall.

People of all races, classes, and age groups, carrying every type of weapon that came to mind, from relaxing by the guild's bar to wandering around the main hall. Sure, she had seen dwarves at smiths she had passed and rheas seemed to be many of her uncles' clients, however, elves in her experience were peoples in fables and tales.

It seemed that the stories she had heard were not lying about the seemingly eternal beauty of the long-lived race, leaving her wide eyes and breathless at the near-divine beauty of their men and woman alike.

Surely she knew it was rude to stare, however, it did not change the fact that she did it, after all, this was probably the best she'd get at interacting with elves anyway.

"I'm going to make the deliveries… just wait here quietly."

Snapping back to the present moment, she quickly nodded. "O-oh, umm… right!"

Although she saw him enter the crowd, she quickly lost sight of her uncle as the hustle and bustle of this guildhall was very disorienting to her.

Cow Girl soon felt a chill run up her spine, and finally, she realized why.

Everyone is looking at me!

She didn't know why everyone here was looking at her, perhaps they assumed she was a potential client? Or maybe she looked out of place compared to everyone else? Or was it because her hair was messy?

The reason didn't matter, for she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Squeezing her eyes shut and looking downwards, she mentally chastised herself.

I knew coming here was a mistake…

Her fingers fidgeting uncomfortably on the seams of her overalls, she finally mustered the courage to peek out from underneath her bangs, and that was when she noticed the vacant benches in what she believed to be a waiting area.

Perfect. There she would be able to remain out of most people's view, and she'd know exactly when her uncle came back.

One step at a time, she made her way to the spot, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible while also trying to appear as if she belonged here.

She was doing a poor job at it.

The rose-haired woman was quite visibly overwhelmed, her arms moved against her will and her strides seemed larger than her size.

However, she made it to the benches uninterrupted.

Putting her hands on her well-developed bosom out a sigh of relief, she silently thanked the Gods that no one had tried to speak to her. Now that she was comfortably situated in an area where many paid little mind to, she finally got her first real look at the guild.

Of course, she looked for him on a whim, but she was certain that if he was here, he'd make himself know… right?

Idly swinging her legs on the bench, she overheard a number of conversations between adventurers nearby. Some talked about higher-paying quests, whereas other parties seemed to talk about adventurers into deep mines with slimes, whatever those were.

Maybe he knows what slimes are… She mused as she continued to look upon the many peoples who worked with one another.

It seemed that many of these parties were well acquainted, many of them acting as friends and even close to what families were. Strong bonds were built through the hardships of their work. It was such an interesting thing since her uncle disliked the profession so much, yet here were complete strangers, living much more happily than herself and most likely happier than many others in the world.

Was this why he was working in this trade? Does he have a party with which he has forged a bond? Did he already have a party which he could rely on? And if he did… then she would have to be honest and say she would feel left out, if only a little.

"Is something the matter?"

With a yelp, she shot up as she nearly fell out of her seat.

She had been so caught up in her mind that she failed to notice the woman who had snuck up on her, and the question made her jump. Luckily for her, she managed to get her embarrassment mostly under control to face the concerned-looking staff member of the guild.

The young woman looked a little older than herself, her beautifully braided golden hair made her look much more like a grown-up, unlike her messily free-falling hair.

"I'm sorry," the elder of the two spoke, eyes clearly apologetic. "I certainly didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to be so startled!" She waved her hands in front of her, still flustered by her embarrassment. "Er, uh, my uncle… um, that is, you see…"

Gods above, why was it so hard to talk to strangers? She found herself tongue-tied and unable to form a sentence.

However, the staff member in front of her radiated a calming presence, an understanding one, as if she knew exactly how she was feeling.

Taking a deep breath, the staff member in front of her waited before Cow Girl managed to say.

"I'm from the farm…"

"Really!" The staff members' face brightened. "Thank you for always bring us produce!"

"And… um…"

Cow Girl was regretting her reluctance and inability to speak to people right about now. She just needed to power through this, after all, if she couldn't speak to a member of the guild, how would she ever be able to hold a conversation with him?

Opening her mouth again, she felt it quite dry before she managed to find the words she wanted to say.

"I'm going to— to start coming to help my uncle!" She tightly gripped the loose denim of her overalls.

Even though her struggling, the staff member smiled broadly. "Certainly. We look forward to working with you!"

"M-me too!" Cow Girl blurted out, and with that, Guild Girl with the same professional smile gave a bow.

Soon, the older woman turned and walked away, the gentle curve of her hips and bottom swaying as she moved, leaving Cow Girl to decompress a little as such a stressful encounter was over.

She's such a lady…

Did men prefer girls like that?

After a moment of thinking and wondering, she gave her cheeks a light tap as she refocused herself.

"I'll just have to do my best."

… …

He walked through the two large oak doors into the guildhall, the atmosphere immediately changed.

Taking a few steps into the guildhall, the sea of adventurers parted as he moved forward. His armor was by all accounts filthy and covered in grime. He had made efforts to make himself presentable, however, cleaning off too much would compromise the scent needed to sneak into a goblin den unnoticed.

As he moved to the desk, his eyes scanned the room he was in. He could feel every eye fall onto him and for what reason, he had no clue.

One woman looked him from his grimed-up boots up to his beskar helmet.

"Wow. So that's the guy…" One adventurer whispered to her companion as he passed.

He recalled the songs of centuries past parted to him by his Founder. Of times when the Adventurers Guild were wary of their people, and times before that when they were actively hunted for their armors and their beskar. Naturally, this caused his hand to slowly move to the grip of his Beskad.

However, it seemed that his concern was for naught as he heard the first of what would be many rumors.

"They say he dissected a goblin. Maybe he wanted to sell its liver somewhere."

"Goblin slaying on his own? That's gutsy…"

"This is his sixth or seventh time, right? I'd don't understand how he isn't fed up with them yet."

"And his gear, where do you think he got it?"

"Chances are he's a scavenger, probably took it off some poor sod."

It seemed that the other group's words had been interpreted by other members of the guild. The outcome of adventures was news that often spread quickly.

It seemed that others were more interested in seeing what his race was or if he was a man or woman.

Exhaling, he returned his hand to his side and walked up to the desk to turn in the quest and receive the payment he was due.

"Now I've gotta make my report to my dear receptionist and—!" The spear-wielder coughed as a pungent scent enveloped his senses and he looked to him as the offender. His glare was one with great annoyance, however, he moved out of his way.

It seemed that he was going to say something to him, a woman with a pointed hat had tugged him away.

Finally, he made it to the desk with the staff member who was his usual handler.

With a smile, she spoke to him.

"Welcome back! How did the quest go?"

"There were goblins." He reported as he did with every previous report, going quiet soon after.

Her smile seemed to remain, however, he could tell that she seemed… off for a lack of better words.

"Erm…" Her quill recorded his words before it returned to the jar of ink.

He recalled that she preferred it when his reports were not sparse, so he continued.

"Three goblins appeared. They had no weapons."

"Right. Three. No equipment. Got it." She scribed down, her eyes focusing on the neatly written words before looking back at him. She looked at him, with hesitance in her eyes, as if she was debating asking him another question. After a moment, she finally spoke.

"How did you defeat them?"

"Another party had already taken a quest. They intercepted one goblin whereas I eliminated two."

Once more, her eyes seemed to look back down at the paper and back to him, before she finally asked.

"Anything else you'd like to report?"

"Else?" The young man tilted his head. He was fairly certain he had reported everything pertinent to the mission.

"I stood watch for a full night after the encounter. I concluded that there were no reinforcements." When he noticed her brow raise, he continued. "The other party's monk suggested that they might be Wanderers. Goblins that have lost their nest."

"I see…" She stated as she once more took up the quill and scribed down the information she received.

He was unsure what she was thinking, but she seemed satisfied with his responses now.

"So, just to be sure I have the information properly documented, you first accepted the quest, headed to the location, where you encountered three goblins."

When she looked up to him, he confirmed with a nod, waiting for her to continue.

"Then you worked with a party of four that was there for another assignment. Together you all slew three goblins. You detected no indication of reinforcements."

"Correct."

"In that case, the quest is complete. Good work!"

Moving the quest report off to the side, the Guild Girls' attention turned to something under her desk as her hands did as well, before reemerging with a tray and pouch of coin, in a practiced manner.

"Your reward for a job well done! You take a job, you do the job, then you get a reward." She seemed to smile brightly at him as she spoke. "That's an adventurers' responsibility— his trust and goodwill."

He was unsure where this impromptu lesson was coming from, but it reminded him of how this line of work is what separated the Mandalorians from their past as nomadic raiders. Still, payment is payment, and he took the coin purse and put it into the pouch on his belt, not even taking a moment to look at it.

"Do you have any goblin quests?"

She seemed to straighten herself out and blinked.

"…Sorry?"

"Goblins."

"G-goblins?"

"Yes." He reaffirmed his desire to hunt the green vermin. He knew that many people were not willing to take the jobs, and although he cared little about the reward, even he knew that the meager rewards would eventually collect in his savings.

"Yes… we have several goblin quests still available…" She trailed off, once more, her eyes seemed to hide a question.

"Yes?"

"Is it true you dissected a goblin?"

"I did." He answered.

"Well, perhaps you could avoid actions that are likely to be misunderstood by civilians and other adventurers." She maintained her professional smile, and for some reason, he could feel the aura around her change.

When he didn't respond immediately, he could notice her put her hand up to her chin, a quiet chuckle coming from her.

"I dissected it to learn." He began. When she gestured with her other hand, he continued. "I don't know much about goblins."

The attendant seemed to rub her fingers on her temples now, seemingly confused about something. About what, he was unsure.

"Please don't do that in the future. At least, not when it could cause misunderstanding." Before he could respond, she added. "As I'm sure you're already aware."

"…I will try."

"Good!" Her smile was unwavering as she proceeded to tell him the deals of the goblin slaying quest he had requested.

… …

It was still dark out when Cow Girl awoke.

Squirming underneath her blanket, she slowly rose so that her bare body would be covered by the blanket and her head was poking out from underneath it.

Peering outside the barely opened shutters, she could see the stars above, and the two moons, already more than halfway down their path towards the horizon.

Another week had gone by since her first visit into town, and this marked the second week since he departed.

Is he ok? She sighed as she rested her arms on the window frame, basking in the moon's glow. It was like he reentered her life only to disappear yet again. Every passing day that he did not return only filled her with worry. For all she knew, he could be…

She shook her head as she expelled that thought. Thinking like that would only cause her only more grief than she could currently handle. She had already thought he was… gone once, there's no way the God's would be so cruel to take him away again… right?

As the young woman let a breath out, her attention was drawn to a sound from some distance, its origin unknown.

Initially, it sounded like footsteps, but she wasn't too sure.

Is he home?

Quietly leaving her bed, she made sure to watch her footing, lest she wake her uncle. Putting on some undergarments and an ill-fitting shirt, she decided to investigate what the sound was.

Lighting up a candle, she carried it through the unlit home. She had traveled through most of the small house when she felt the sinking feeling of what if it wasn't what she thought it was. Taking a piece of firewood in her other hand, she continued to move before she reached where she believed he would be.

Putting down her impromptu weapon, she lightly tapped on the door. A moment passed with no response, and finally, she peered into it.

"Welcome… home?"

As her rose-colored eyes scanned the near pitch-black room, she quickly deduced that he had not been here.

He's not here? She closed the door before she heard the sound yet again. This time, she was certain that it was not coming from inside the house, rather from the outside.

Uncle did mention that he might be borrowing the shed…

Slowly, she moved through the house, remembering the state that it was currently in.

It certainly wasn't in great condition, unused, and quite frankly in no state to be used.

Reaching the front door, she opened it, and immediately the cool breeze assaulted wherever her body was bare, sending shivers up her spine. The candle she held fluttered as the gust which felt like the last gasps of winter attempted to put it out.

As she took a few steps out, she had a fleeting thought of how this wasn't exactly proper but dismissed it as she was almost certain that no one would be around to see her like this. She continued to the barn that he was renting out, however as she could not help but notice that it had an imposing silhouette.

From where she stood, it looked like no one was in it. In her mind, there was no way her friend was currently taking residence up in that decrepit place. It looked like a place that would be home to monsters, like goblins.

Goblins: 'the little devils' as her uncle called them.

She'd never seen one luckily, but the thought of them caused her to shake her head, causing her long hair to fly in all directions.

Steeling herself, she put her hand up against the door gently, and pushed, the rusted bolts creaking.

"Hey… are you in here?" She murmured as her eyes glanced over the area.

It seemed that there was a hastily made fire pit embers still fresh within it. It seemed that a number of the floorboards had been removed and soil moved around. A pot over what seemed to be a makeshift grill sat over it.

Cow Girl couldn't see him, so she decided to move in, candle in hand. The light of the candle reflected off a metal surface, and immediately she could tell it was his helmet. However, as she got closer, she felt her breathing hitch.

There he was, slumped in a corner, his fur off to the side.

His armor seemed to have taken a number of hits, a lot of it covered in grime. As she got near, she could smell the scent of metal, mixed in with a faint stench. It was a familiar scent, as it was a byproduct of the goods made on this pasture: blood and gore.

"H-hey, are you ok? Did you get hurt?" She quickly moved in front of him, crouching to be eye level.

"…"

No response, however, the helmet tilted slightly upward. For a moment, she swore she saw a red glint.

"I'm not."

He slowly rose, which caught her off guard. She felt back onto her bottom, now looking up at him. Remembering how bare she was at this moment, she rushed to cover as much skin, but her face was undoubtedly burning with embarrassment.

What was that response? 'I'm not.' Was he not ok? Or was he not hurt? Or was he both? Neither?

She struggled to come up with an appropriate reply, but she was coming up blank.

"I was heating water." He moved to the makeshift fireplace and put the back of his hand up to the pot. "It seems I had rested for longer than I wanted."

"Resting? You mean—" In here?

Her eyes landed on him, and he didn't seem to care about the conditions. If anything, he seemed satisfied with whatever he was doing. Soon he rolled out his fur, taking two cups, a spoon, and what looked like two tea bags.

Putting the tea bags into the cups, he then poured what looked like hot water. Mixing the contents, he waited for a moment longer before picking up both cups. At this point, she had repositioned herself to be in a less…compromising position before he sat in front of her.

Extending a hand with a cup holding it, he spoke softly.

"Here."

"…" She took the cup and looked into it. The liquid looked brown. "What… is it?"

"Spiced Caf." He stated, before softly blowing into the beverage before taking a drink.

Looking down at it, she imitated what he had done, and blew at it, the steam rising from it dispelling for a moment before she took a sip.

The drink itself was hot and burned her tongue, however, she did not let it bother her.

It was initially bitter, however, its aftertaste was pleasantly flavorful.

"It's good." She felt more awake, taking another sip.

"Is it?" He tilted his helmet upwards. She affirmed with a nod. "It's my Founders blend."

Soon, he finished up his cup and sat in silence. She found his company somewhat soothing, despite the decrepit building and the less-than-presentable appearance he had.

She was halfway through her cup before she realized he was waiting for her to finish.

"Do you… plan on going out again… once I'm done." She spoke quietly.

"I am."

Not even a second to respond. His voice held that certainty.

"Where to?" She asked, taking another sip.

"Goblins."

Ah.

She realized what was happening. When he returned to her, she foolishly believed that things were changing for the both of them. She had hoped that once he had destroyed a few nests, he'd be back to them, and settle down, and she'd childishly believed that she was getting better as well, but things hadn't.

She was no different than she was five years ago, and for him…

It's still that day for him… isn't it.

She was uncertain on what she could do. She felt her grasp on the cup tighten as she looked down into it.

Another couple of minutes of silently pondering between sips.

Memories of days gone by flooded her mind. The childish fight, and tears between them.

The cup was nearing empty, and the sun was beginning to rise.

The words she meant to say to him when she got back.

The place she could never return to. She couldn't go home. She hadn't gone home, and she never would.

Now it was empty.

Looking up at him, she extended her hand out with the cup.

As he reached for it, she felt a pitiful smile form on her face.

"I'll be waiting, so this time—"

I want you to come home.

He took the cup silently and rinsed it out before carefully putting them back into the traveling roll. Although he said nothing, she could tell that something was mulling underneath that helmet.

Her friend moved to the door, and she followed close behind, and as he got farther and farther away, she swore she saw him glance back.


It has been a minute since I posted a chapter!

I've been going through a bit of a writers block as of late, so I apologize for the slow progress.

On another note, I am currently thinking about making edits to the story, as the more I look back on it, the less I like it. I'll be sure to post an update on whether or not I decide to simply make edits or if I decide to do more than just small edits.

Other than that, I hope you all are enjoying your days/nights, and stay safe and healthy!

-Moonlight Talon of the Night!