They were uneasy after the first Sentinel. They kept looking behind them, watching for more, and actually did see one. It wandered out in the open, in broad daylight, though it did not follow them. With the risk of being attacked, Flora became very interested in learning from Barret, slowly becoming stronger, but hadn't actually fired arrows yet. Her arms became covered in cuts and bruises, and Trace fussed over her, but she was strong.

Keith had taken the reigns for a few days, enjoying just sitting for a while, watching the miles fade behind them. Natani usually sat with him, and they talked about what they would do when they got back to the estate. "It will be nice to not have anything go horribly wrong for a few days, and have a roof over our head."

"Yeah, and we'd actually have some… us time." Natani said, elbowing him. Keith smiled and blushed.

"That would be nice…"

"You two sound like an old couple." Zen said, plopping down on the front seat next to Keith.

"Maybe you should start looking for someone." Natani said dryly.

"Eh. Someday, if someone catches my eye, but I have no interest in that right now."

"Who do you think will 'catch your eye'?" Keith asked sarcastically. "You're not exactly a family man."

"Hey!" Zen smiled and whacked his shoulder. Sighing, he turned his gaze to the road. "Actually… I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it much. To be honest, I never thought I would even have close friends like you guys, let alone a family. And I had always thought it would be me and Nat that traveled together, but I was wrong. You've grown up, from my little brother to a wonderful young woman!" Natani reached around Keith and whacked Zen on the back of the head. "HA! I knew that would get you riled up! But… I didn't think you'd start a new tribe before me."

For a while Natani was quiet, and watched the road. "Well, then think of it like this: I'm not starting a new tribe, I'm adding someone else into ours." She put her arm around Keith, and leaned on him. "Sure, he's a short, little musclehead, but he's my short little musclehead."

"Musclehead?" Keith asked indignantly, pushing Natani off of him. "You've seen other Basitins, and you know that 'musclehead' is not the right word."

"Eh, works for me." Zen put his feet up and leaned back. "How much longer do you think we have?"

"Nine more days following the trail," Barret's voice came from the back "then we turn south and it's a four day journey to Edinmire."

"Actually, we're not going to the city. We're going to just outside the city. I have an estate about half a day north of the town, hopefully it should still be standing. I left a friend in charge of the place while I was away. He'd probably be happy to see me again, but I never actually told him how long I'd be gone."

"Eric. I forgot about him." Flora scowled.

"Eric? Not someone you're particularly fond of?" Barret asked.

"Stupid little perv that-"

"She has some unfortunate history with him." Trace cut her off. "We needed a ship to get to the Basitin Islands, and he offered to give us transport in exchange for her to… model… for him. She was not happy."

"Yikes. And you still call him your friend?"

"Well, he's at least changed. He's at least been willing to put up with all of my crap, even after his ship got exploded- long story, tell you later. Anyways, he and Kathrine have been watching the estate. I think Evals and Mike are still there too, but I wouldn't blame them if they left." When they stopped for the night, Barret led Flora a short distance away.

"I think you're ready. Here." He held out three arrows, their steel tips gleaming in the evening sun. "I don't want you to aim for anything in particular, just get a feel for how it changes when you have an arrow. Make sure you keep your elbow up."

She knocked the arrow and pulled the bow back. She looked down the shaft, and slowed her breathing. Looking at one tree, she let the drawstring go, and yelped as it caught her cheek. The arrow soared through the air, and landed in the ground with a solid thud. "Ow! Aw…"

"Aim will come only with time and practice. But that's quite the mark it left on your cheek. You can check your aim by leaning down there, but you should make sure to move your face out of the way before you let go next time!"

"Har, har." She pulled the bow back again, and looked at the same tree. Once again, she let go, and the arrow fell short. A third time, and no closer to her target.

"Hmm… it might actually be the bow, not just you. It's almost as tall as you are, so you're going to have a hard time pulling it back far enough. We can keep practicing with this, but once we can get a smaller bow, you should find it much easier to use."

"Like the one you used to have?"

"Well, I could certainly try to make a bow again, but it would be better to just buy one. I'm not a skilled enough fletcher to make anything more than simple arrows. Now, let's try again."

…

Trace woke up late in the night. He wasn't sure why he woke up, but he was awake. As he laid there, he heard Flora muttering in her sleep "can't do this… failed… doesn't love…" and his heart broke. He hadn't realized just how hard it had been for her. Pulling her close, he kissed her head, and then stood up to go relieve himself. He walked over to the trees, did his business, and was walking back when he saw Barret sitting by the fire.

"You should go back to sleep." he said.

"You should too." Trace responded, joining him by the fire.

"How is she?"

"I can't imagine what she's going through. I think… I think she doesn't want to admit it, but she feels like she failed as a mother. But no one blames her. I just wish…" Trace's voice faded, as sorrow filled him.

"Consider that this was her first child. Something that she never thought possible. Human and Keidran children are very rare indeed, and losing one would be more difficult than you could ever possibly imagine. I can't even begin to fathom how I'd feel if I was going to have a kid, only to lose them so late."

"I guess. I don't know why I don't feel the same pain she does though. It wasn't just her kid, it was our kid."

"I'm not sure. We've all lost things, but it was closest for Flora, both figuratively and literally. She lost a life that was still inside her. You can't know what that's like, and neither can I. Just because your pain isn't as bad, doesn't mean it's any less important to deal with. Would you compare the loss of parents to the loss of a child? No. Pain is different for everyone, and every kind of pain is different. Don't blame yourself, don't feel bad about it. Be there for her. She needs you, Trace. More, now than ever."

"How are you so wise?"

Barret smiled. "Far too much experience. Go on, go get some sleep. There's a fog rolling down from the mountains, and it's going to get tough to see where we're going, on top of getting everything damp and cold."

"Right. You get some sleep too." Trace walked over to the tent, and snuggled up next to Flora, holding her tightly. "I will never stop loving you." he whispered to her "Even if the world were to fall apart, I will never, ever stop loving you."