The fog started to settle between the trees, creeping closer to the campfire. Despite the days growing warmer, winter still refused to release its grip on the night. Lisa stood with the horses while they ate their ration. Trevor stole glances while writing his daily journal entry. He'd been considering changing the cypher, but knowing how quickly the doctor had broken it, he hadn't done so yet.

It kept him cautious. How much did the doctor know? Had she read everything? Was that perhaps why she treated him so kindly? Similar trauma? She turned, catching his intense stare and Trevor returned his focus to finishing his notes and securing the leather lacing. He tucked the book into his hidden pocket as Lisa returned.

She crouched and poked another log into the fire. "Have you been reviewing the lesson books?"

Trevor reached for his tin of tallow and flicked his whip loose. Sorting through his things, he took out his repair kit and removed a swatch of fabric. Pressing the fabric into the tin with a finger, he removed a small amount to work into the leather. "Not tonight. Perhaps tomorrow." He saw her purse her lips from the corner of his eye and kept applying the oil, conditioning his equipment.

In the days since they'd left the village, he hadn't touched the doctor's books. He couldn't explain in a way that made sense how guilty he felt. He'd fallen asleep reading complicated equations, for fucks' sake. How could he allow himself such luxuries? He couldn't protect her or himself if he was so distracted. But there was no way to tell Doctor Tepes. Whether or not she knew the kinds of things he'd done to survive, she still treated him like a child.

Coiling his whip and closing the tin, he rubbed the rest of the tallow into his skin and risked looking to the doctor again. She had a small length of leather in front of her, the one Trevor had purchased to contain a set of tools for maintaining the horses. Trevor slumped and looked up for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and sighed.

Dragging himself over to her, he asked, "Do you want me to show you how to use these?"

Lisa began to fold the leather and shook her head. "I don't want to bother the horses anymore tonight. Perhaps in the morning?" Then she pulled a book out and asked, "Do you know the language here?"

Trevor bit his tongue at the bait and switch. The gold filigree stitching on the velvet cover was very ornate. Such a book would cost a small fortune in the countryside, not that he believed anyone would be able to read it. Few bumpkins proved literate, let alone fluent in foreign speech. "It's french. A book of poetry."

"Parlez vous?"

Trevor smirked and replied in french, "I was never formally taught the written language, but am fluent enough to hold conversation."

Lisa's eyes widened in happy surprise. "How wonderful! I learned the lettering, but have to admit, my husband's dialect is rather archaic. I never had the opportunity to practice."

Trevor shrugged and admitted, "I'm rusty myself. I don't mind if you want to use this language."

They continued their evening routine, conversing in french. Trevor found the change distracting, but welcome. He could focus on diction without worrying about judgement. In the past, he'd mostly used it to eavesdrop. Only someone with a secret spoke in a way few could comprehend.

Then the fire had withered to a small pile of glowing char and they settled for the night. Trevor arranged his bedding to hide his whip and hunting knife, then pretended to fall asleep. When the doctor truly was asleep, he began his nightly ritual yet again. Taking his knife and whip, he exhaled slow and long, then stepped into the chill darkness.

Fifteen minutes straight. An hour circling. Nothing of note except the bugs at night that had woken up too early for spring. The fatigue began to creep in as he turned to head back. After so many nights, he couldn't help but feel like he was punishing himself for no reason. Nothing had happened as of yet. Should he really be so cautious?

Then he froze, the idea of sleep suddenly a mile away. Twenty feet away stood a massive white wolf. It's shoulders easily rose above his waist. Large gold eyes pierced straight into him, yet the posture didn't seem hostile. Still... Trevor slowly widened his stance and let his whip fall slack. "You're a very handsome boy, aren't you. A bit out of color for the area, though." Trevor licked his lips, mouth dry. "An outcast of the pack then."

The wolf slowly drew back his lips and started to growl. Trevor reached for the hunting knife. "Easy big guy. Don't make me hurt you."

Even as he waited to see what would happen, he considered his options. A hunting knife was effective if he didn't get bit first. The whip was loud, a reasonable way to scare off wild animals, but a last resort since he didn't want to alert the doctor. Then the wolf's ear quirked sideways and Trevor heard a noise in the distance.

They both turned to look, but Trevor couldn't see anything. In the blink of an eye, the wolf ran off. It disappeared like a ghost in the darkness and Trevor sighed in relief. He hadn't wanted to fight a wolf. Quickly coiling his whip, he picked up his pace and returned to the fire. Only after he had doubled the tinder and stoked the flames did he begin to relax.

Then a shiver ran down his back and he swallowed hard. Eyes wide, he whipped around and scanned the darkness beyond their firelight again. The healing wound on his arm began to itch and he fought the urge to scratch it raw. His breath stuttered and halted in a spastic rhythm. Had the beast found him, hiding as a wild animal? He pulled his knees to his chest and folded his hands behind his head, struggling to smother a burning, urgent, crippling fear.

"Trevor?"

He felt the doctor sit beside him and pull him against her. A warm blanket wrapped them together. She gently guided his head to land on her shoulder and started to hum. He kept his eyes closed, but slowly his breathing grew less harsh. The panic began to abate and he found himself able to reason again.

Night creatures couldn't hide their true form when this much time had passed after infection. This was an animal. It had to be. A large white wolf that had been banished from its pack that followed them looking for an easy opportunity for food.

"Bad dream?"

Trevor shook his head. "I... thought I saw a wild animal."

The doctor tsked and kissed his temple. "In that case, best to keep the fire tended. I'll watch for the next few hours." Before Trevor could refute, she added, "You're shaking like a leaf, sweetheart. You don't have to hide your recovery from me. Understand?"

Trevor sighed, unable to deny her observation. "Yes, ma'am."

She sat with him for several more minutes until he found himself nodding off. His body heavy and warm, he struggled to lie down in his bedding only for Lisa to assist. Too tired to do any more than give a disgruntled groan, he heard her chuckle and once again she tucked him into bed, asleep as soon as his head hit the ground.

Lisa altered from staring into the fire to glancing at Trevor. Despite his best attempts to hide it, his little night ventures were taking their toll on him. This latest episode only proved her fears were right. Whether or not Trevor had been awake, he was terrified of something he wasn't telling her. She moved her bedding closer to him, but didn't get much more sleep that night.

When the sun rose, she didn't wake him as she normally did. He'd buried himself in his blanket and furs. Only the top of his black curls were visible. She decided to take advantage of the lazy morning to use some of her sour dough starter. After measuring, she added more flour and water to make a small loaf. Setting it in a cast iron pot, she rested it near the coals and started morning chores.

The horses stood hitched, but fully alert. Lisa raised an eyebrow and looked out into the trees, using their ears to direct her. As far as she could see, there wasn't anything interesting. A distant animal smell? Perhaps Trevor had been right. That put her slightly on edge even though the horses seemed at ease now.

Taking a deep breath, she poured out grain for each of them, adding a large dollop of molasses to each. When she put the ration on the ground, the gelding nudged her before using his lips to remove the left over syrup from her fingers. She smiled and gave him the attention he wanted, only leaving once he had bent to eat his breakfast.

Which reminded her of their own breakfast. Using the edge of her apron, she lifted the lid of the pot. Seeing the dough had risen, she knocked it down with a wooden spoon, then pushed the cast iron into the center of the fire. She stacked wood around it, stoking the embers to low flames. A glance showed Trevor had remained asleep.

The bread would need to bake for a short time and could cool while they rode. What else could she tend to while waiting? Laundry would always need to be done, but the sloshing of water would wake Trevor. Let alone, water was one of their more important commodities. She settled for repacking the cart and cooking eggs and aged pork.

It wasn't until the ground fog had cleared that she saw the tracks. Placing the basket on the ground, she felt her blood run cold seeing a canine track as large as her hand dug into the sticky mud. She covered her mouth and scanned the ground for more, alarmed to see they mingled with their own boot prints. She hastily drug her foot through the tracks, obscuring them.

Now she regretted baking a loaf of bread and only wanted to be moving. She looked once more at the horses, but they were still happy and calm... and Trevor needed as much rest as she could give him. So she grabbed the eggs, pork, and her skillet and returned to the fire. It wasn't until the pork was sizzling and close to being done that Trevor slowly began to stir.

When he finally pulled the blanket down and squinted in the morning light, she called softly, "Breakfast is almost ready."

He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Sitting up, he stretched and asked, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Lisa gently flipped the eggs and scowled when the yolks still broke. "You seemed so tired when you finally fell asleep." She lifted the cast iron pot with the loaf of bread from the embers and wrapped it with linen to hold the heat so it could finish baking. "Can you fetch the loaf I made a few days ago?"

Trevor rolled to a kneeling position and gathered his bedding. Taking it to the wagon, he used his hunting knife to slice some bread for them. Lisa piled the bread with slightly scrambled eggs and bacon. She carried the pot with the hot bread, eating as she took it to the cart. Checking once again that the tracks were sufficiently hidden, she took the tools from the night before to Trevor.

"I'm ready to learn how to use these."

He ate the last third of his breakfast in a single bite and removed several of the tools. Holding up what appeared to be a curved file, he explained, "These are used to remove the sharp edges of horses' teeth. It helps prevent them from slicing their cheeks." He flipped a small 'L' shaped hook in his hand and said, "We'll start with this. Come on."

He led to where the horses waited patiently and instructed her on how to check their hooves for rocks and damage. He even gave an anatomy review before showing her how to place their tack and harnesses. Then they were mounted up and back on the road.

As the miles vanished behind them, she finally felt relaxed enough not to give away her morning anxiety with conversation. The hours passed easily between them. Few travelers greeted them through the days of travel. It seemed as though the delayed spring thaw had deterred merchants from their normal routes until the road conditions stabilized.

When they stopped for the night, Lisa watched as Trevor crouched over a small pot mixing what he called 'rustic' biscuits. She had seen him dump flour and lard, stirring with a very crooked wooden 'spoon' that was more blunted than useful. When they were ready half an hour later, Trevor slathered them with lobs of butter and cheese. She had to admit, it tasted better than most of the food she'd made for them.

"Do you know how much further your husband's estate is?"

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "I'm honestly not sure. We took the scenic route when the clinic was initially built to ensure we chose the most opportune location. I believe I have a map." She searched through her belongings and emerged with a roll of paper as long as her arm. Lifting it into the air, she crowed, "Aha! Here we are."

She spread her blanket on the ground and then spread the map on top of it. Kneeling, she pointed to a grove of trees that was equidistant between a handful of small towns. "This is where we decided to construct the clinic." Using her other hand, she pointed to the largest land locked lake to the west. "And this is where we lived."

Her expression turned pensive and she mused, "I spent a few years studying to become a doctor, during which he courted me. I have to admit, he made me feel things I'd never felt with anyone else. My husband knew how much I loved the ocean and this is where we settled. It was after our child reached an independent age that I encouraged my husband to embark on another pilgrimage after helping me establish my humble clinic."

Trevor scratched his neck while scanning the map, then took a few steps away before he blew out his cheeks. Running his hands through his hair, he groaned. Lisa smirked at his display and asked, "Am I really that much of a bother, child?"

Covering his face with both hands, he groaned again before crouching next to the blanket. Dropping his hands, he leaned to grab a thin stick and then pointed at the map. "Best estimate is, we are here." Sliding the stick, he stopped at increments and added at each, "This is how far we can travel during the daylight, meaning we have at least another ten days... and that's if the weather holds."

Lisa sat and started taking off her boots. "I don't see why you're so worried," she deflected while trying not to reveal concern about the wolf tracks she'd found the night before in her expression.

Trevor tossed his stick into the fire and sat. Hugging his legs to his chest, he put his head on his knees and asked, "Is there anything in your clinic that would... tell the clergy who your husband is? I'm af-" He cut himself off and took a deep breath. "Assuming they are in pursuit, they have resources to move faster than us. If they manage to get there before us..."

Lisa tsked and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "My husband is in no danger, Trevor. He has his intellect... and is a man of science. Even if they knew who he is, there is nothing they could do to harm him." She smirked and added, "If anything, they'd be doing us a favor tipping him off that they're homicidal maniacs."

Trevor gave a small whimper and shivered. Lisa scooted closer and wrapped him up in a blanket. Of course, she could always mention the heads on stakes that had decorated the front yard when she first met Vlad, but that didn't paint him in a descent light without further details. Besides, he had changed the décor fairly quickly after she forced her way into his personal space.

She rolled up the map and secured it with a silk cloth. "Either way, we just need to keep moving." Putting the map away in the cart, she paused and surveyed the quickly darkening underbrush. If anything threatened them, it was invisible to her eyes.

Returning to the fire, Trevor had bundled up in his bedroll. She knelt beside him, resting her wrist against his temple. He moaned, but accepted her touch. Despite the worries of the previous night, his fever seemed to remain in decline. Relieved, she settled in her own blankets to keep watch over her ward and their slowly smoldering fire.