Chapter 7
Those You Protect
Though the storm was starting to wane, the rain was as heavy as ever. Lightning lit up the island, illuminating a stone tower which stood in the middle of a clearing. Rain hammered the ancient structure, but unlike most other buildings on the island, the tower was mostly intact, keeping the three occupants inside warm.
It may have been a watchtower combined with a house at some point or another. The aged stone brick exterior, which was covered top to bottom with moss and vines, had windows on the side for beasts to keep watch. The top of the tower had a trapdoor leading down into the armoury, where two beasts were resting. On the roof, a thin hogmaid wearing an off-yellow habit, Kallius Placent, sat under the tower's thatched canopy. She had offered to keep watch, but now that she was up here, she realized that it wouldn't do any good. It was too dark and stormy to make anything out. Even if somebeast decided to attack the tower, she likely wouldn't see them. Assuming she did see them, what could she do about it?
Kallius looked at the bow and arrow in her paws and sighed. Having a weapon for self-defence was supposed to make her feel better, but it just made her feel sick. Kallius gingerly placed an arrow on the bowstring and pulled back with all her strength. Her small frame quivered as she struggled to hold the arrow in place. It eventually got too much to bear and she let go. She watched as the arrow fell and clattered harmlessly onto the floor.
Kallius groaned and picked up the arrow. If this tower was attacked, there was no way they could defend it. So what would they do?
She looked around at the inky black darkness around her and began to shiver. Right now, she didn't want to be alone. She stood up and took a deep breath. Kallius then knelt down at the trapdoor, opening it, before climbing down the ladder into the armoury.
For a watchtower, the armoury was pitiful. Whoever was here before them had taken everything, leaving a single bow, three arrows, a broken dagger, and half of a leather helmet. But there was one thing in here that Kallius was excited about. In the centre of the room was a stone tablet about a fox tail's length wide. Etched onto the tablet was a map of the island, and although it wasn't perfect (some of the locations were scratched off), it still made her feel safer knowing where they are, and where they could go if they were attacked.
Sitting at the table was a short brown mouse wearing a red vest over a white tunic, Thaddeus Elderbark, who was resting his head on the table as he tried to get some sleep. Laying on a small sofa was a plump red squirrel wearing a purple habit, Farshawn Iriswind.
Kallius looked over at the squirrelmaid and gave a weak wave, "Hello Farshawn, how's your shoulder?"
"It's fine," She answered unconvincingly. The smile Kallius put on faded as she looked at Farshawn's shoulder. Farshawn was shot while running from the ship, and when Kallius found her and Thaddeus, the arrow was still there. None of them had any medical experience so they didn't know what to do. They decided to pull the arrow out because it's a bad idea to leave something sharp in your body, right?
They pulled the arrow out of a screaming Farshawn. Then her shoulder started to bleed. A lot. Thaddeus ripped off a strip of his vest to wrap around her shoulder, but it didn't seem to help much. It has now been around three hours since she'd been shot, and two and a half since they pulled the arrow out. Farshawn seemed to be getting worse by the minute, and Kallius was terrified.
Kallius quivered nervously and tried to avoid looking at Farshawn's shoulder. "Um, I wanted to talk to you and Thaddeus for a second, come sit at the table. I mean, if you can, you don't have to." The two maids walked over to the table and sat down. Thaddeus lifted his head, glancing back and forth between Farshawn and Kallius.
"Hm? What's going on?" The mouse asked.
Kallius clasped her paws together and looked nervously at the window, "We need to come up with a plan, the three of us. As long we come up with a solid plan, we can get back home."
Farshawn and Thaddeus looked knowingly at each other. Just by looking at each other's faces, they could tell neither of them felt their odds of survival were great.
"Maybe we should just give up?" Thaddeus blurted out. Kallius' face stiffened and Farshawn rested her head on the table. Okay, I know our chances of survival are low, but you didn't have to say that! Farshawn thought angrily.
Noticing their reactions, Thaddeus held his paws up defensively, "Okay, that was just a suggestion! I'm just saying, I think Borsen is going to kill us so why not just-"
"Just shut up!" Farshawn shouted, "How about you-"
Kallius placed a paw over Farshawn's mouth and motioned with her other paw to be quiet. "Don't be so loud, I don't know how big this island is, but if we scream, I think somebeast would hear."
Thaddeus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Look, I'm just saying, maybe our punishment would be lessened if we just gave ourselves up?"
Farhsawn kept quiet as per Kallius' instruction, but that didn't stop her from glaring at Thaddeus. How stupid can you be? That's not how that works! If we give ourselves up, we'll just be killed!
Kallius looked nervously between the two and sighed. Thaddeus and Farshawn never got along back at Redwall Abbey. Actually, scratch that. Thaddeus just never got along with anyone in general. Even Durkfor had a hard time saying anything good about the mouse. Personally, Kallius was more neutral towards Thaddeus. Sure, he had a lot of bad moments, but she knew his good moments that everyone else seemed to ignore. Though perhaps it was because Kallius couldn't bring herself to hate any of her former classmates.
Then there was Farshawn. Just like Thaddeus, Farshawn was classmates with Kallius in Abbey school. The two of them were friends, no doubt about that, but she worried about how she would react here. She knew Farshawn got nervous easily, and the current situation wasn't doing her any favours. It wasn't uncommon for Farshawn to pull Kallius aside to talk to her about something she was worried about.
Abbey school… Hmm?
It was then that Kallius realized something strange. Myself, Farshawn, Thaddeus, Rianne and Durkfor were all classmates with Borsen back at the abbey. Durkfor is here by accident, I don't know why Art, the Skipper or the other otter is here, but does that mean the rest of us were captured because we were in Borsen's class?
Granted, it was already clear Borsen had something to do with their capture, but the thought that Borsen specifically chose to target his former classmates made her feel sick. Did we do something to him? Farshawn, Thaddeus, and Rianne, perhaps. I know for a fact Thaddeus and Farshawn spread rumours about him, Rianne just refused to be around him, but I didn't do anything to him, right? I even tried to talk to him sometimes, but he seemed to hate me in particular.
"Hey, Kallius!" Thaddeus called out suddenly. Kallius blinked a couple of times before looking over at the mouse.
"Don't yell, what is it?" Kallius asked.
"Uh, if we're not going to give ourselves up, what are we meant to do then?"
"Oh, uh, hmm…" Kallius placed a paw on her chin as she stood up and walked back toward the stone map.
A couple of seconds of silence later, Thaddeus shrugged slowly, "So we're going with my idea?"
"No!" Farshawn barked out fearfully, "We'd get executed if we do that! Didn't you see them kill those shrews?"
Thaddeus suddenly froze, as if he genuinely just realized that would happen. "I- Well, I wasn't sitting by them, so I didn't see that. Don't blame me for-"
"We were all sitting in the back of the room, how could you not see that?" Farshawn retaliated.
"I got distracted, okay? Don't get on me for that."
"Stop it, both of you!" Kallius said sternly, before apologising, "Sorry for that, but we can't be fighting. Look, even if we don't have a plan, we should be doing something. How about this, somebeast can go out to find food and other beasts since 'tis likely we are going to be here for a while. The other two can try to fortify this tower. Sound good?"
"What? You want someone to go out? Alone?" Thaddeus questioned.
Kallius clasped her paws together nervously, "Only if everyone is okay with it."
"I'm good with that," Farshawn immediately agreed. Thaddeus couldn't help but snort. Yeah, because you agree with everything Kallius says… But I am hungry, and it doesn't hurt to be safer I guess.
Thaddeus threw his paws up in exasperation, "Fine. Who's going?" When Kallius didn't answer, Thaddeus felt a pit grow in his stomach. "Kallius? Who's going?"
"Um…" Kallius didn't know how to respond. It would be a bad idea for Farshawn to go, she's getting weaker by the minute. If I go, that leaves Farshawn and Thaddeus alone, which is a disaster waiting to happen. So that leaves…
"It's not me, is it?" Thaddeus stood up suddenly, his eyes wide with panic. "Dear Martin, please don't make me go out there!"
Kallius walked over to Thaddeus and placed her paws on his shoulders, "Thaddeus, calm down, you don't have to go out if you don't want to."
"But we don't have food in here," Farshawn pointed out.
Thaddeus shot her a glare. "C'mon, it's not like we're going to starve to death in two hours, at least make me wait until the rain stops."
Farshawn shook her head, "And how long will that be? This storm has been going on for a while."
"Why do you want me to go out so bad? Do you want me to die?" Thaddeus stormed over to Farshawn. His mouth curled up into a snarl, his tail thrashing about wildly.
Farshawn blinked, her face suddenly one of surprise, "What? That's not what I meant, I just think we should be doing something other than sitting around, you're just-"
"I've had enough, you've always treated me like this, and I'm not- urgh, what are you-?" Before Thaddeus could say any more, Kallius was pulling him down the stairs by the arm.
"Thaddeus, I will talk with you later, I'm going to talk to Farshawn first though. I'll be right back." Kallius opened a door on the first floor. There was nothing inside the room, and it seemed large enough to fit only one beast.
What is this? Is this a closet or something? Hey, a tower like this wouldn't have a closet. What even is this room? "Hey Kallius, what is this-"
Kallius shut the door before he could finish, leaving him in this small, dark room. Thaddeus sighed and leaned his back against the wall. This must be a punishment or something. Actually, of course this is a punishment. So maybe I did get a little bit loud, but that argument wasn't my fault. What's Farshawn's deal anyway? She doesn't actually want me to die, right? Wait, what am I saying, of course she does. It's probably Farshawn's fault we're here anyway, she spread rumours about Borsen, I bet she was the one who angered him.
Thaddeus waited in that closet(?) for what seemed like forever, though it was only seven minutes. He tried to lie down, but the room wasn't big enough for that. "C'mon, how long are you going to take? Kallius? If you don't come back soon, I'm going to leave." Saying that wouldn't work this time though, not when Thaddeus vehemently opposed leaving.
The door suddenly opened, filling the room with light. Kallius bowed apologetically and said, "Sorry you had to wait in here, I'm back."
"Great, can you go tell Farshawn she's being unreasonable?" The mouse said without looking up.
"Erm, no thanks. Listen, I'm sorry for suggesting you should go, I just thought that out of all the options, you going would be best."
Thaddeus didn't want to go, but unlike back at Redwall Abbey, there wasn't anyone he could throw the work onto. Farshawn was wounded, and he didn't want to stay behind and take care of her. "No, I understand. Mostly. But can't I just stay here until the storm stops?" Storm's probably going to continue for a while anyway, maybe somebeast might come and find us first so I don't have to go.
Kallius nodded, "Of course. The storm has been going on for a couple of days, and it's been, what? Three hours since the ship crashed? The storm may be tolerable by noon. In fact, when I went up to keep watch, the wind wasn't as strong when we crashed, so it's getting better."
Thaddeus made no attempt to hide his disappointment. Noon? Really? He was expecting longer. "Great."
In an attempt to cheer him up, Kallius smiled and said, "Look, perhaps we can find Durkfor, Rianne, or Art, and we can get help."
"You mean I can find them, because I'm the one going out. Also, I don't like any of them, they're mean to me."
There's a good reason for that, Kallius thought to herself. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to sort things out with them, alright?"
Thaddeus finally looked up, gazing at Kallius' face. "Okay. But you promise nothing bad will happen to me? I'm worried about the guards, sure, but Borsen is terrifying."
Kallius thought to herself, "Hm, well, I think as long you stay away from the main paths you'll be fine. There is also a dining area upstairs, I could go look for a weapon if you'd like?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." Thaddeus moved past Kallius and sat by the window. He watched as Kallius walked upstairs, presumably to look for a weapon. The mouse looked up at the sky and thought to himself, Please, somebeast just come here soon.
On the island, there are different types of beasts. Some, like Vhynias, try to find those they already know. Beasts like Miena and Kallius want to gather all the prisoners to work together. Some, like Art and Midwyng, want to enact revenge on their captors, and some beasts were hiding.
And then there were Ahlrath Palaechia and Toran Firepool. The mountain hare and the otter were sitting underneath a cruddy lean to Ahlrath put together, playing games with some stones they found. They would arrange the stones to create a picture, and then the other would have to guess what it was supposed to be.
"Um…" Toran stared intently at the rocks in front of him, racking his brains to understand them. "Izzit an otter?" Toran finally guessed.
Ahlrath shook his head, "Nae, 'tis a stoat. See, here's the ears." Ahlrath pointed at some stones in the corners that were supposed to be ears. Toran cocked his head, these pictures didn't have much detail. "Right, yer turn lad."
Toran nodded and started to arrange the stones in some sort of triangle. Ahlrath looked at it for a few moments and answered, "A triangle?"
"No, 'tis a cravat," Toran corrected.
Ahlrath crossed his arms, "A what?"
Toran stared up at Ahlrath, not responding. He picked up the rocks and moved them closer to Ahlrath. "Your turn."
They've been playing this game for around 30 minutes and suffice to say, neither of them were very good at it. Ahlrath kept making pictures of beasts, weapons, and structures, none of which Toran knew. Toran meanwhile made fruits (basically circles), plants, and tools.
While one might wonder why they were playing games at a time like this, Ahlrath had one simple reason. Ah just wanna keep the air light, don't want the lad tae be scared. Playin' games usually works, aye?
Toran nudged his leg, taking him out of his thoughts. "You okay? You look sad."
Ahlrath put on a forced smile, "Aye, ah'm just thinkin'."
Toran cocked his head, "'Bout what?"
"'Bout… food," Ahlrath answered unconvincingly. Toran stared at him with an indiscernible expression. A couple of seconds later, Toran stood up and walked out of the shelter. "Wait, what're ya doin'?" Ahlrath stood up and jogged over to Toran, who was walking in a straight line through the woods.
Toran turned his head toward Ahlrath and asked again, "Are you okay?"
"Aye? Why're ya askin'?" Ahlrath asked hesitantly. Toran stayed silent and continued walking forward, making sure to stay close to Ahlrath.
Side-by-side, the two figures walked through the rain, scanning the trees cautiously. Ahlrath cracked his knuckles, ears standing up to listen for any unusual noises. With his height and massive frame, Ahlrath was a fearsome figure. The heavy dark blue coat draped around his shoulders only added to his hardened look. He was by far the strongest and most experienced prisoner, and though he didn't like to be cocky, he was sure he could protect himself and most importantly, Toran.
Ahlrath looked down at the small otter walking next to him who, despite being the one to walk out in the first place, didn't seem to like the walk at all. Ah feel bad fer the lad, at least ah've gotta coat, 'n a large one at that. He doesn't even have sleeves on that cloak. Given what Toran was wearing plus the plants and fruits he made during their game, it was obvious he must be from somewhere really warm, maybe even tropical. He did his best to hold the blue cape he was wearing above his head, but he still didn't seem to take the bitter rain well.
Feeling pity for the shivering otter, Ahlrath took off his coat and wrapped it around Toran. The otter looked up at him with surprise and concern. Ahlrath smirked, "Don't worry 'bout me, ah live inna north, ah'm used tae the cold."
Toran pulled the heavy coat across his body and nodded, "Thanks."
As the pair were walking, Ahlrath couldn't help but wonder where they were going. Toran seemed to know exactly where to go despite not having been to this island before. "Where're we goin'?" He eventually asked.
"Lake," Toran answered plainly. Ahlrath couldn't help but smile, what's with otters and their love of water? Oh well, no matter the reason to go there, he wouldn't stop him. Much like Midwyng or Farshawn, Ahlrath felt their odds of survival were essentially nil. A bunch of prisoners who don't have any weapons or supplies vs an armed crew led by an assassin seemed to have an obvious outcome. He was especially worried for Toran who was both the youngest and incredibly thin. Not to mention the biggest challenge of actually getting off the island. To Ahlrath, it seemed the only solution was to take over the ship that was currently crashed on the rocks, so things didn't look good.
As far as Ahlrath was concerned, it was hopeless. He and Toran would likely die on this island. But before they did, he wanted Toran to be as happy and relaxed as one could be under the circumstances. That meant going along with whatever Toran wanted.
Ahlrath walked in front of Toran, breaking down branches in their path until they found what they were looking for. Stretched out in front of them under the dark grey sky was a giant lake. The water surged violently from the storm, splashing water onto the lake's shore. Without skipping a beat, Toran gave Ahlrath back his coat and leapt into the water. The mountain hare watched with hesitation as his head disappeared underneath the water. That doesn't look fun tae swim in. Then again, he's an otter.
Holding his coat above his head, Ahlrath watched as Toran swam around the lake, occasionally diving down for some reason. Ahlrath was content to play lifeguard, but he felt like he should be doing something himself. He walked underneath a nearby oak tree, glancing back at the lake to make sure Toran was still in sight. Rubbing his paws together, Ahlrath reached up and grabbed a branch above him. Still glancing over from time to time to make sure Toran was okay, he pulled himself up the tree with ease. In no time at all, he reached the top of the tree (or at least the highest he could without the branches breaking and dropping him to the ground.)
Still using his coat as a hood, he looked around the island to see if anything of note. Though it was still dark, he could see some kind of tower far in the distance. Huh, wonder if some beasts are hidin' up in there. Either way, it'd be nice tae get 'way from the rain. He climbed down the tree, leaping to the ground when he was halfway down. As he jogged back toward the shoreline, he scanned the water for Toran and found him gazing at something under the water. "Ay, Toran, get o'er here, ah wanna ask ya somethin'."
Toran waved him off, "Inna second, I'm tryna…" As he looked up at Ahlrath, Toran suddenly screamed. "Behind you!"
Instinctively, Ahlrath dove to the ground, just in time to feel a blade cut into his back. With a snarl, he stood up and swung his fist directly into his attacker's temple. His attacker, a stoat, stumbled back dazed. In front of Ahlrath were three beasts, the stoat he just punched, a fox, and a rat. The fox waved the rat away. The rat ran past Ahlrath and moved around the shore towards Toran.
"Toran, watch out!" Ahlrath roared. The fox ran forward with a sword, swinging wildly at Ahlrath. The mountain hare sidestepped the swings expertly, watching the fox's footwork carefully. The stoat, still somewhat dazed, began to run behind Ahlrath to try to stop him from dodging. The stoat yelped as he felt the mountain hare's vice-like grip clamp around his arm, Ahlrath swung the stoat into the fox, knocking both to the ground.
Toran swam away from the rat chasing after him with a panicked cry. The rat ran along the shoreline, stopping ever so often to shoot an arrow at the otter. Being an otter, Toran was able to swim fast enough to dodge the arrows easily. The rat gave a disgruntled grunt and pulled out his dagger. Toran froze in fear as he looked at the blade. A dagger? A dagger! He's going to stab me!
The rat ran into the water, swimming after Toran with the dagger. With his rudder-like tail, Toran propelled himself far away from the rat. It was then that Toran realized something about his enemy.
Leather armour, heavy cloak, he's a rat… he's struggling in the water… he also has to hold a dagger… can I… is that…?
Toran zipped through the water past the rat. The rat smiled and swung at Toran, who dodged easily. The rat seemed to immediately realize his mistake of going in the water against an otter, and he only realized that more in the minutes that followed.
Now behind the rat, Toran threw himself at the rat's back. The rat's breath escaped his mouth in a bubble as the otter grabbed onto him. A piercing fear shot up his spine as he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into the lake. Resisting the urge to open his mouth and scream, the rat swiped frantically with his dagger even though his swings were ineffective underwater. Toran used his tail to plunge him and the rat farther and farther. The rat thrashed around desperately, but Toran was able to avoid blow after blow. Bubbles started to flow out of the rat's mouth and nose and Toran knew it was only a matter of time.
Time an otter can hold their breath: eight minutes.
Time the average beast can hold their breath: three minutes.
From personal experience, he knew this too well. Now he just had to wait.
Despite the situation, Ahlrath found himself grinning as he raised his fists. The fox and stoat surrounded him with their swords. The two vermin were breathing heavily, unsure how an unarmed hare could be beating them. Ahlrath pounded his fist in his palm and scoffed, "Ah'm not 'fraid o' ya, come at me. Or do ya wanna leave? ah'll letcha run back cryin' to yer captain if'n ya wanna give up."
Desperate to kill this hare, the two vermin charged. Ahlrath sidestepped the fox's clumsy swing and shoved him to the ground. The stoat anticipated the sidestep this time and managed to tackle Ahlrath to the ground. Sitting on the hare's stomach, the stoat raised his sword, ready to bring it down on the hare.
More than willing to fight dirty, Ahlrath clutched some gravel in his paws and flung it at the stoat's face. The stoat coughed and sputtered as he shook his head.
Ahlrath looked up to see that the fox had gotten up and was prepared to hack Ahlrath in the head. Using his powerful legs, Ahlrath kneed the already disoriented stoat in the back just as the fox thrust down with his sword. The stoat froze and went limp as the fox's blade pierced his skull instead of Ahlrath's. The fox pulled the sword out, his eyes wide with panic. Ahlrath pushed the stoat's body off and stood up, raising his fists. The fox lunged forward, swinging at the hare's neck.
Gotcha. Ahlrath threw himself onto his back and kicked out at the fox's legs. The fox fell to the ground, his sword escaping his grip and falling into the lake. Before the fox could get up, he felt something heavy crawl on top of him. The fox began to scream as he felt Ahlrath's paws grip his head. He slammed the fox's head down on the rocks, once, twice, three times. Blood splattered the ground from the fox's head in the shape of a maple leaf.
The fight was over, and Ahlrath could feel all the adrenaline leaving his body. It wasn't the most difficult fight he'd ever been in, but being chained to a bench for weeks definitely did a number on him. But that didn't matter right now. Tiredly, he looked over at the lake, eyes darting around for Toran. His heart pounded in his chest, there wasn't any splashing, nobeast surfacing from the water, was he still even in the lake?
Then it happened. Toran's head popped out the surface of the water. Though the rat was nowhere to be found, Ahlrath could see a bow along with multiple arrows floating on the water.
Sighing in relief, he lay down on the shore, not bothering to move as rain pelted his body. He heard the sound of somebeast surfacing from the water. Toran quivered as he walked over and lay down next to Ahlrath. The two of them lie there resting, just glad to be alive.
"Ya okay lad?" Ahlrath asked.
Toran didn't answer. They almost died, if it wasn't for the rat entering the water, Toran had no doubt he'd be dead. Whimpering, Toran moved closer to Ahlrath and hugged his torso. Ahlrath patted the otter's head comfortingly and held him close. "Don't cry laddie, ah'll keep ya safe."
Can ya keep that promise though?
"I'm sorry," Toran said through his sobs.
Ahlrath didn't say anything. He knew it was partially Toran's fault they were here right now. Toran got up and walked back to the lake. Ahlrath watched curiously as he disappeared into the water. A few seconds later, Toran got out dragging a small carp in his paws. Ahlrath watched in stunned silence as the otter placed the fish between them. "You seemed sad, so I thought you were hungry. I wanted to go to the lake to get a fish." Toran held his head down guiltily, but Ahlrath was struck silent.
What he did leadin' us intae the open like this was stupid. But ah didn't try tae stop or question 'im either.
Ahlrath smiled and picked up the fish. It was pretty small, and it likely wouldn't be enough to feed the two of them for the day, but he couldn't help but be touched by the gesture. Chuckling, Ahlrath rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Toran, "Thanks lad, ah mean it. How 'bout we find some way tae cook this and we'll eat it, aye?"
Toran looked up from the ground, surprised Ahlrath wasn't angry at him. He began to giggle softly, "Okay."
The two beasts stood up with a fish in Ahlrath's paws. As they began to walk away from the lake, Ahlrath glanced back at the two bodies on the shore and thought bitterly to himself. These next few days are gonna be hell, but Toran's here. Ah dunno if that's a good thing or not, but ah'm glad he's here wit' me.
Thaddeus bounced his footpaws nervously as he looked out the window. They had another conversation, a much calmer one this time, and they all agreed the best course of action was for Thaddeus to go out while Kallius and Farshawn fortified the tower. Thaddeus grumbled nervously as he went over his list of goals in his head.
Find food and a source of water.
Find other beasts to help them.
Optionally, find Rianne to help patch up Farshawn's shoulder. Though Kallius reasoned some of the other prisoners may know a bit about cleaning and closing wounds, Rianne might be the most inclined to help them (even if their relationship was a bit shaky)
Thaddeus jumped as he heard the door open. Kallius came in with a meek smile and sat down next to Thaddeus. In her paw was a rusty kitchen knife.
"It uh, it may not be much, but I hope this is enough to keep you safe." Kallius handed the knife over to Thaddeus, who took it hesitantly.
"Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks." He turned the blade around in his paw, staring at it uneasily. "I don't wanna have to use this."
Kallius nodded solemnly, even if it was for self-defence, any kind of violence made her queasy. "Me too."
Clicking his tongue nervously, Thaddeus looked out the window. A couple of days since the storm started, and three hours since the ship crashed. Kallius estimated the storm would stop by noon, but…
"It might stop before that," Thaddeus muttered.
Kallius looked up at the sky. "The storm? Maybe." She didn't want Thaddeus to leave, quite frankly, she would rather she go, but this was the best decision… right? "Stay safe, please? I just know the guards are searching for us. If you have supplies and you get attacked, just run. Having food is good, but you being alive is more important." Kallius said softly.
Thaddeus tapped the knife against the windowsill a couple of times, "I will, I promise. And uh… thanks."
"Thanks? For what?" Kallius asked.
"For listening to me all those seasons I guess. I still don't know why everyone hates me, but you don't, so thanks."
Kallius looked out the window into the forest. It felt as if her body would explode on the nerves alone.
And so they sat near the window, waiting for the dreaded moment when Thaddeus would have to leave.
