What a week. Was worried about a dry socket, so went and got it checked. No dry socket or any cause for concern. I'm just old and take longer to heal.

On the bright side, I'm finally back to solid foods. Had enough Jell-O to last me a lifetime. Now, I just want to eat everything.

On another bright note, I get to play a childhood favorite tomorrow for a streamer event. We're doing a 3v3 Heroes of Might and Magic 3 game. I'm one of the two more experienced players and expected a slugfest with the other guy, but we got put on the same team in the end. Gonna try to go easy on the other guys starting out, as one's never even played before, but eventually I plan to flex a bit and destroy everything. Should be a blast!

Chapter was meant to be a little longer, but between the extra recovery days, catching up on work from missing last week, and a host of other little things, it ended up right around the usual length. Extra stuff will take place next week instead.

Adam's mind raced furiously - hopefully faster than their approaching doom. Grimm? How did they find us? Katai and the next village should've drawn most of them away already, especially at night when no one else was on the trail. The caravan they saw earlier must've reached town by nightfall, too. How could they zero in on two faunus between the lure of the nearby settlements?

Because of me, Adam realized. Grimm were attracted to negativity, and while he didn't know all the specifics of how that worked, he had to imagine his nightmare made him a Grimm magnet. Heck, with everything he'd gone through, he wouldn't be surprised if he smelled like a prime cut to the Grimm.

How they found him didn't matter. The Grimm were coming, and while he felt a lot more capable than the first time he'd been hunted by one, there was only so much he could hope to accomplish with nothing but a knife. Without aura, all it would take would be one solid blow to finish him. And if he didn't hurry, he'd be dealing with more than one. Adam wasn't a gambler, but even he knew not to take those odds.

"We're leaving," Adam announced, sounding far more confident than he felt. They couldn't hope to outrun a Beowolf, even on Eve. He'd proven that years ago. With two of them riding, Eve would struggle even more to outpace the hateful monster closing in on them. But when the alternative was staying put and waiting for death, he'd take his running.

Nila hovered on the other side of Eve, unsure what to do but not wanting to be out in the open either. Adam frantically grabbed the saddle, dropping it in his panic before snatching it off the ground. He whispered a silent apology as he threw the saddle onto Eve's back. Normally, he'd take his time and carefully place the opposite stirrup atop the saddle until it was all secured, but he doubted the Grimm would wait for him. Instead, Eve jolted to the side as the stirrup slapped against her side. Adam grunted as Eve shouldered him backward at the impact, but he couldn't afford to hesitate.

"Easy, girl." Adam doubted his nervous voice soothed her much, but it was all he could manage as he struggled with the saddle's girth. The strap slipped past his fingers twice before he finally forced it into the buckle. A quick tug proved it tight enough, meaning the only thing between him and freedom was untying the reins.

Easier said than done, it turned out.

"C'mon. C'mon!" Adam's nervous hands struggled against the tight leather strips, but they barely budged. Pushing the end rewarded him with the tiniest bit of slack, allowing him to force out the first knot. The whole thing started to come loose until, with a victorious cheer, Adam finally freed it from the rack. Now all he had to do was-

"Look out!"

Adam dove to the side, instincts warning him of the sudden threat just as much as Nila's shout. The rack Adam had just been working on shattered as the Beowolf crashed into it, growling in displeasure at his escape. Eve stumbled as she caught the end of the impact, kicking out instinctively and striking the beast's arm, only to receive a backhand that sent her to the ground with a scream of pain.

"Eve!" As much as Adam wanted to check on his horse, the lumbering form of the Beowolf stood in his way, cutting him off. Thankfully, it didn't seem to care about finishing their ride.

Nila, on the other hand.

"Adam!"

Nila's panicked scream was all it took to summon the Beowolf's attention. Red eyes zeroed in on her with unerring accuracy, honing in on the new prey. The monster rose onto its hind legs, spread its gargantuan arms wide, and let out a terrifying roar. Nila tried to back away - tried to create some distance - but her feet refused to move. She fell backwards, cowering as her doom stalked forward.

No! Adam watched helplessly as the Beowolf drew closer. The monster took its time, each step mercilessly heralding Nila's demise. He'd promised to protect her, but now she was going to die.

And all because of him.

Something in Adam snapped. His feet carried him forward before he knew what was happening. An animalistic roar tore itself from his throat, echoing the Beowolf's own. Despite his sudden bravado, the Beowolf continued forward, ignoring him entirely for the girl on the ground.

He had to save her. He had to stop it. Out here, her only chance of survival lay with him and his simple knife. Fighting a Beowolf like that was a fool's errand. One Adam gladly accepted in defense of Nila.

"Get away from her!"

Without thinking, Adam threw himself at the Beowolf's back, plunging his knife into the thick hide before being stopped by the solid muscle and bone beneath. The Beowolf howled, more angry at the interruption than truly hurt. It spun to face the unseen threat, unaware he still hung on, clutching his knife and a bony spike on its back. Adam tore his knife free, throwing himself upwards to clutch the creature's neck. Teeth snapped mere inches from his face as the Beowolf suddenly found the source of its annoyance.

I have to stop it. I have to kill it! But how? His knife had already failed to do anything more than a flesh wound. Maybe if he could plunge it into the monster's throat, but if he missed, he was dead. He needed to cause as much damage as he could in one go. Adam doubted he'd get another chance.

The Beowolf flailed an arm back, claws barely scraping against him but with enough force to draw blood. He screamed in pain but kept his grip, but the bloodshed only invigorated his foe. Its face turned once more, the gleam of victory already shining in the blood red eye.

The eye!

The Beowolf screamed as Adam plunged his knife directly into its eye, earning a satisfying squish as it pierced straight through. For good measure, Adam twisted the blade, grating the edge against the bone plating surrounding the brutalized socket.

His victory was short lived as a paw closed around his back. Even half blind, the Beowolf managed to tear him from its back and hurl him away. Adam slammed into the ground beside Nila, bouncing twice before a tree stopped his sudden flight through the forest.

Nila was beside him in an instant. "Adam! Are you okay?"

He wasn't. His shirt was torn open in the back and stained red as blood seeped from vicious cuts. Two of his fingers were bent sharply to the side, refusing to rejoin their brethren. His leg screamed in pain and he could barely breathe.

But he was still alive.

"I'll be fine," Adam lied.

Nila either trusted him or was too terrified to notice the obvious. "What do we do?"

What could they do? The Beowolf stumbled about, pawing at the knife still lodged in its face, but that wouldn't last long. Even if they could reach Eve, his horse wouldn't be setting any speed records after the blow earlier. Not that he would be able to handle a hard ride himself. With his weapon lost, his foe angered, and nowhere to run, neither of them had much hope of survival.

But he had to try.

They couldn't run. They couldn't fight. So what could they do? Adam looked around frantically for anything they could use. The fire had gone out while he slept, not that he had any hope of driving the flailing monster into it. The remains of the rack included a particularly jagged spear of wood, but the Beowolf stood between him and the small wreckage. Running through the forest wouldn't get them very far.

Wait…

"The trees!" Adam yelled, pushing himself up against the trunk he'd crashed into only moments before. He barked out a single order. "Climb!"

That one word was all it took, spurring Nila into action as she scurried up to the first bough. There were a few, large trees near the edge of the orphanage property that they would sometimes climb. The lower branches were strong and sturdy, but Adam had nearly reached the top a few times, where the thin shafts of wood barely supported his weight. Swaying so far above the ground, feeling the gentle breeze running past, Adam often found a facsimile of freedom.

Right now, he just hoped for survival.

With his new injuries, climbing should've been a pain. But there was something about the promise of death that could really motivate a person. The lower limbs were easy enough to scurry up, pushing higher and higher as the Beowolf finally recovered and realized its prey had vanished. Adam didn't bother looking down, knowing it wouldn't take long for it to spot them again. He managed to put a lot of distance between himself and the ground by the time a furious roar resonated from below.

Higher. Higher! He dragged himself up, even as the branches became thinner and weaker, sticking close to the trunk to reduce the risk of snapping each pedestal and plummeting down to the waiting jaws below. He couldn't keep up with Nila's pace, but eventually she slowed to a stop, clinging to the trunk as she planted her feet among a cluster of smaller branches that sagged slightly at the weight. None of them were strong enough to hold her up alone, but quantity had a quality of its own.

Adam came to a stop just below her, finding a similar cluster and a slightly larger branch to support himself on. The trunk shook and swayed as the Beowolf raged against it below, but the tree stood firm, its two occupants easily riding along and enduring.

"We're safe." For now. Adam didn't really have a plan at this point. They had to come down eventually.

Unlike some fairytales, this monster wouldn't disappear at daybreak. It wouldn't tire. Wouldn't lose interest. They were well and truly stuck in their tree until something more interesting captured the Beowolf's attention. Their best bet would be a merchant caravan arriving with armed guards, but that wouldn't be for another day at best. How long could the two of them hold out for? How long until one of them tired or lost their grip and fell?

Adam worked the buckle on his belt loose. The series of thwacks it made clearing his belt loops caught Nila's attention. "Here. Use this." Nila took his offering but seemed confused on what to do with it. "Tie your leg to the trunk."

Ideally, he'd have something that could go around her waist and the trunk a few times for stability, but the slightly oversized belt would do fine for his purposes.

"What about you?" Nila asked, suddenly aware of how easily one of them could slip to their doom. He could see her zeroing in on his injured hand. "Don't you need it?"

"I'll be fine." Rather, he wouldn't be fine if she fell. "I've got a thicker branch down here." Adam tapped his foot against said platform, proving it secure and satisfying Nila's concern enough for her to follow his instructions. She threaded it around the trunk, securing her thigh snugly against the wood. That proved a little thinner than the holes on Adam's belt, but with a little effort, she managed to work the buckle's prong through the worn material. A few light tugs reassured them both.

It didn't do much for the threat below, however. The Beowolf swiped at the tree, knocking bark loose and sending it away in a blast of shrapnel, but the tree held firm despite the furrows left by the vicious claws. With enough blows, it could probably weaken the trunk enough to topple the whole thing, ending what little hope the two above held onto, but the Beowolf didn't know that. Frustrated at its initial failure, it began to circle the tree, eyes - or rather, eye - fixated on them the entire time.

They couldn't hope to outrun a Beowolf, and he'd already proven how pointless fighting it could be, but staying out of the Grimm's reach seemed to work. "It can't reach us," Adam said, as much for his own benefit as hers. "It weighs too much for the branches up here. All we have to do is wait for it to leave."

He'd never seen details on how much a Beowolf weighed, but by sheer size alone, it had to be similar to a horse at the very least. They said muscle weighed more than fat, and the Beowolf below looked to be sculpted purely out of the denser substance. As if to prove his point, the Beowolf leapt high into the air - far higher than he'd imagined possible, but not anywhere near their perch. The branch it grabbed onto snapped instantly, leaving it to fall back down while bouncing off a few more branches, most of which broke along the way. Its massive arms sought for any sort of purchase, claws eventually digging into the thick trunk and slowing it to a halt.

The Beowolf looked back up at him suddenly, seeming to grin as they both realized what that meant.

"Adam!"

The Beowolf lunged upwards, only covering a few feet or so, but digging claws into the trunk to stop itself and repeat the maneuver. Far slower than the Beowolf's original attempt to leap half the tree at first, it still managed to scale their refuge with terrifying speed. It would be upon them in a matter of seconds.

Branches snapped and fell as the Beowolf crashed through them without a care, focused only on the two helpless victims above. Even if the trunk further up might not hold against the monster's violent ascent, its breaking would be just as bad, sending them all down to the unforgiving ground below. There was no way they'd survive that fall. Even the Beowolf, as strong and solid as it was, would likely die from such a plummet.

Wait…

"Nila, I have an idea." A stupid idea. A reckless idea. But compared to the current plan of waiting to die, it was a marvelous idea. "But you're gonna have to trust me. Okay?"

Nila had trusted him this far, and even if that trust was about to kill her, she still held firm. "I trust you. What's the plan?"

Oops. Telling her wouldn't go over well. She couldn't exactly stop him, but that didn't mean she had to watch what happened next. Instead, he hastily came up with a distraction.

"Break off some of those branches above you. The really small ones."

"These?" Nila questioned, easily snapping one off without any real effort. They wouldn't support any real weight, nor could they hold up against a simple twist.

They also wouldn't help him at all, but she didn't need to know that. "Yeah. Grab a bunch of them. As many as you can."

Nila dutifully started breaking off the numerous branches around her. A few were just thick enough to need a little extra work, but most were thinner than a pencil. As she gathered her pointless bundle, Adam whispered a silent apology, knowing she'd never forgive him if he failed.

Then again, she wouldn't be around to hold a grudge at that point, either.

Adam looked down at the approaching Beowolf, shuffling around the trunk slightly until he was directly over the monster. The hateful eye tracked his movement, but the Grimm never paused in its climb, knowing it had them trapped. With a deep breath and a quick thought that he'd regret this, Adam did what he had to do.

He let go.

Adam plummeted downward before either Nila or the Beowolf knew what was happening. The Grimm reacted quickly, though, mouth opening to receive the free gift. The Grimm growled in triumph. Adam shouted in rage. Nila screamed out his name.

And then, Adam struck.

Adam shifted as best he could as he fell, keen to avoid the awaiting teeth and claws. Instead, he aimed for a different target, kicking out at the last moment to strike something made of neither flesh, bone, nor fur.

His foot met the end of his knife, still lodged in the Beowolf's ruined eye.

Despite the Beowolf's early efforts to dislodge it, the knife had only sunk a little further, wedged against the bone plating and refusing to budge. Adam's kick, carrying with it the full force of his descent, chipped the hardened frame just enough to knock it free. The knife was swallowed in an instant, vanishing into the beast's skull with a sickening squelch.

Grimm were said to be mindless, but Adam had to assume there was something important in their head. Something that, if hit hard enough, would kill even a Grimm. He couldn't say for certain if the growl from below was a death knell or not, but whatever he'd done caused the Beowolf to lose its grip on the tree, claws peeling free and leaving the monstrosity to nosedive back to the ground.

Adam broke through a branch, but managed to catch himself on the next and avoid the fate of his rival. He heard the crack of bone echo through the woods. Looking down, he knew he'd triumphed. If his blade hadn't done the trick, the ground clearly finished the job. The Beowolf's neck had snapped on impact, leaving its head turned almost fully around to gaze up at him one last time. Even now, Adam could see a faint, black mist drifting upwards - a sure sign of a Grimm's demise. He didn't know what exactly caused them to evaporate like that, but right now, Adam considered it the most beautiful sight in the world.

I did it.

The simple thought echoed in the silence. Past the pain of his battered body and everything around him, all Adam could do was stare down at the dead Grimm below.

I killed it.

A thrill of excitement ran through him. He'd finally done it. He'd faced a Grimm and proven victorious. Injured and unarmed, he was alive and it was dead.

I killed it!

The beast that haunted his nightmares lay dead upon the ground, while he clung victoriously above. A smile forced its way onto his face as he admired the fading corpse below. Such raw power and destruction, and he'd brought it low by himself. Even better, he'd protected Nila in doing so. He'd kept her safe, just like he promised.

A single laugh slipped from his lips. Then a second. Soon, his laughter echoed in the night air, declaring his triumph to all of Remnant.

Remnant answered his boasting with a growl.

He'd forgotten about the other howls in the distance. Beowolves typically traveled in packs, and this one proved no exception. A second Beowolf had taken up the call of prey and followed to take its packmate's place. Worse, another crept out of the treeline nearby. Both of them noticed him instantly, then looked further up as Nila screamed.

Killing an injured Beowolf had been hard enough. Now, already injured and without any weapon, how could he hope to take on two? He scrambled further up the tree, hoping to buy himself some time like he had with the first.

The Beowolves weren't patient enough for that.

Adam could hear the sound of the first Beowolf scaling the tree behind him. The second might have followed, but he didn't dare look back. He had no plan this time. No burst of inspiration to get them out of trouble. All he had was the desperate hope for a miracle.

"Yah!"

A new voice made everyone freeze. Adam stopped climbing. Nila clung silently above. Even the Beowolf on the ground stopped.

Though that likely had more to do with the silvery blade that erupted out of its chest.

The second Beowolf considered its options for the moment before choosing to go after the threat rather than the children above. Once the new arrival was dealt with, it could always come back up the tree. The Grimm launched itself downward to ambush the new arrival.

"Watch out!" Adam shrieked, but the man below was already moving, tearing his broadsword free as he rolled to the side. The Beowolf crashed into the ground where he'd stood only moments ago, whirling in an instant to keep up the pursuit.

Claws rang against steel as the man's sword blocked a blow meant for his head. He pushed it away and stepped back to avoid the second paw, but wasn't quite fast enough. Claws tore through his tan shirt with ease, promising nothing but suffering and death.

But instead of a splash of blood, a faint white light shown as the man turned to bleed the strike's momentum.

A Huntsman! Adam cheered at the sight of aura. The Beowolf might've been faster, but what Huntsman couldn't take on a basic Grimm? Beowolves were practically training for new Huntsmen. So surely someone older like the warrior below should have no trouble.

Their prospective savior yelled as he was thrown to the side, rolling on the ground and regaining his feet just in time to bring his sword up between his face and the snapping jaws. He tore the blade free with an ear-piercing squeal of teeth against metal, but the sharpened edge did more than just make noise.

The Beowolf's lower jaw hung limply, its cheeks being split open by the sword in its mouth. The gurgled roar it let loose cut off suddenly as the Huntsman twirled his blade, stabbing it upward through the beast's throat. He drove his shoulder into the pommel, forcing it higher until it erupted from beside the Beowolf's ear in an explosion of gore. He didn't withdraw his sword as much as turn and let the Grimm slide off.

"You kids okay?" he panted, dropping his sword as his hands rested on his knees and he sucked down greedy gulps of air.

This…is a Huntsman? A one-on-one fight with a Beowolf left him winded. He'd even taken a few nasty hits along the way, though his aura held against it all. With everything he'd seen from Team SPVC so long ago, or even Mazarin, he'd kind of expected an experienced Huntsman to have no trouble. But in the end, a win was a win.

More importantly, they were alive, and the Beowolves weren't.

"We're alive," Adam answered, checking on Nila above. She loosened his belt and began her descent rapidly, catching up to him before they reached the ground. "Thank you."

"No problem," the Huntsman answered, scooping up and sheathing his sword as he straightened up. A pop sounded as he stretched his back. "Goodness! Been a while since I dealt with one of them. Good to know I've still got it."

Barely. Huntsmen always seemed to age slower, likely as a result of aura repairing their body and their active lifestyle, but up close, Adam could see the telltale signs of age sneaking in. The slight wrinkling around his blue eyes. The white taking over his dark hair, proving more salt than pepper at this point.

"Who are you?" Nila asked as she hopped down beside Adam. He worriedly looked over her for injuries, ignoring his own as he spotted a few snags in her outfit but nothing more. He turned back to their rescuer, only for Nila to finally get a good look at his back. "Adam!"

"Ow!" Nila drew back after her rush to inspect his back nearly toppled him. The Beowolf hadn't exactly been kind when it tried to carve him open. They hadn't cut too deep though, and the bleeding had already stopped, though his shirt was more ruined than the Huntsman's.

"Hold still," the man instructed, snatching his wrist and turning him around. "Nasty cuts, but not much I can do about that right now. Taylor Griffon."

"What?"

"You asked who I was," Taylor answered. "Sheriff Taylor Griffon, at your service, little lady."

"Sheriff?" Adam had expected a Huntsman, not local law enforcement. Then again, given his aura, Sheriff Griffon was likely a retired Huntsman, choosing the calmer life of protecting a village over roaming for Grimm.

"Last I checked." Sheriff Griffon tapped a golden star with his title engraved in capital letters. "Now what are two young faunus doing out in the woods this late at night?"

"Traveling," Adam answered immediately. "We stopped here for the night, but we were attacked by three Beowolves."

"Three?" Sheriff Griffon looked around in confusion. "I only saw two."

"I killed one," Adam proudly declared. To be fair, killing a Grimm at his age without aura wasn't a common occurrence.

"Did you now?" Nila nodded along, pointing to where the first Beowolf had fallen. All that remained was Adam's knife, which he carefully picked up and tucked into the belt Nila had returned to him. "Not bad. You lookin' to become a Huntsman someday?"

The question stung, as did his unspoken answer. He'd wanted to, more than anything. But that dream was far behind him. Still, opening old wounds hurt, and Sheriff Griffon noticed it easily enough.

"So, travelers, where you two heading?"

Away from Katai. That would just lead to more questions than Adam felt like answering. Worse, he'd realized a rather important detail. If this guy's a sheriff, why is he out on the trail? Sheriffs stuck to their village, keeping the area safe. Leaving would just endanger their home. So why was he out in the middle of nowhere?

"East," Adam answered, suddenly uneager to give anything away.

"That so?" Sheriff Griffon whistled, summoning a horse from further back on the trail. The trail toward Katai. "Can't fight worth beans from a horse, but I'm thinking we shouldn't stay here."

"We'll be fine," Adam promised. Eve stood nearby, still a little shaken from their encounter but sensing his uneasiness and pawing nervously. "Sun will be up in a few hours. We'll set out then."

Sheriff Griffon sighed, giving up on the subtle approach. "Adam, right?"

"I never-"

"And that must make you Nila." Nila jumped at the sheriff's seeming omniscience, but Adam already knew what came next. "I was sent to find you two after you ran away. Madam de Thom was worried you might be in trouble. Guess she was right."

"We're fine," Adam tried.

"This time," Sheriff Griffon allowed, "but what about next time? What happens when something a little bigger than a Beowolf finds you two?"

They'd die. Plain and simple. If not for the sheriff's arrival, the Beowolves would've been too much for them. What about an Ursa? Or a flying Grimm? How could they hope to survive against something like that?

"Wouldn't be right of me to leave two kids out here to die." Sheriff Griffon patted his horse, nodding at Eve. "Next town's two days out. One if you're fast. But that horse is in no shape to carry both of you, let alone at high speed." He stepped closer, leaning in to whisper so Nila couldn't hear. "Come back with me. If not for you, then at least for your girl."

To keep her safe. He'd already proven helpless against the wilderness. Nila had nearly died because of him. Because she'd chosen to follow him. Maybe they could make it to the next village, but it would take longer now. Eve was roughed up. He wasn't exactly in the best condition either. Nila wasn't hurt, but she'd clearly been shaken by the whole ordeal. Pushing further might as well be sending up the Grimm signal.

He knew it was the right choice. No matter how he looked at it, going back to Katai made sense. He also doubted the sheriff was really asking at this point. As friendly as he tried to be, Adam doubted he would just let them walk away. Worse, he clearly knew how to twist their arms a bit, playing on Adam's desire to protect Nila.

And Nila's concern for Adam. "Gonna need to have a doctor look at those scratches," Sheriff Griffon announced, making sure Nila heard. "Last thing we want is infection setting in."

Adam knew he'd won over Nila before she even spoke. "His hand's broken, too."

"Let me take a look." Sheriff Griffon could've easily grabbed his hand, but instead he waited patiently for Adam to reveal the damage. He'd been careful to keep it tucked away, knowing it would only add to the ever-growing list of reasons for him to return. Resigned to his fate, Adam held out his battered hand, including the two swollen, purple fingers pointing in the wrong direction. "Ouch. That looks painful."

Duh.

"Riding back one-handed won't be easy. If you want, I can set these back in place. Won't be enough to fix everything, but you'll be able to hold a rein properly at least." Before Adam could agree, Sheriff Griffon added, "I won't lie to ya, son. It'll hurt like heck to fix it, but it'll help in the long run."

"Do it," Adam nodded, bracing himself. His hand shook as Sheriff Griffon gripped his wrist, making sure he didn't jerk away. But Adam had been through hell already. How much more could this-

Adam's legs wobbled as the sheriff forced his fingers back into alignment. The cracking sound split the still night air, followed quickly by Adam's scream of pain. The moment Sheriff Griffon let go, Adam collapsed on the ground, clutching his injured hand.

"Sorry 'bout that."

Nila rushed to his side, cradling his hand in her own and whispering assurances to him. It helped…a little. Her comforting touch provided a pleasant distraction against the searing pain, but true to the sheriff's words, it faded soon after, leaving it more sore but less painful than before. He carefully wiggled the fingers, pleased to see them wave in thanks.

"Thanks," Adam grunted. As much as he wanted to hate the man for trying to drag them back to Katai, Adam appreciated the help…and the save from the Beowolves.

They were safe now, but for how long? Even if they made it to the next village, he couldn't do much work injured as he was. They didn't have the time nor the lien for him to recover, and like the sheriff said, if infection set in, he was screwed.

Could he really go back? He'd never get another chance like this. Plus, he doubted Alyssa would leave him alone. If anything, his attempt to escape would only anger her, and she had a habit of taking that out on him. His mind railed against facing her again.

But could he risk something happening to Nila, just because of his stubbornness? She would've died without Sheriff Griffon's intervention. What if it happened again, but no one came to save them? Even if he somehow got away from the sheriff, he'd just be throwing Nila's safety away for his own.

In the end, he didn't have much of a choice. Sheriff Griffon climbed into his horse's saddle, then offered a hand to Nila. "C'mon. Hop on up." Nila froze looking between the sheriff and Adam. The older man sensed her hesitation and twisted the knife a little more. "We'll get him to the hospital, but the sooner we get there, the better. I'll let you stay with him while I let Madam de Thom know you're safe."

That was all the encouragement Nila needed. She climbed into the saddle, trapping herself in front of him as he reached around to hold the reins. He made no move toward Adam, trusting he wouldn't abandon Nila.

He was right.

"Your horse should carry you just fine, as long as we take it slow," Sheriff Griffon said. "It'll be a long ride, but we'll go straight to the hospital once we get back. If you need anything, let me know." Adam dragged himself into Eve's saddle, resigning himself to their fate. "And don't worry. We'll have you back in Katai in no time."

That's what worried him.

Adam gets his first kill! But if you thought I'd let him off easy, then you must be new. I'm sure some were expecting Nila to die here, but Adam would give his life to protect her right now. Nearly did, in fact. But don't think I've gone soft on the boy. I'm sure everyone knows a certain someone won't take kindly to his escape attempt...

For the sheriff, while I didn't model his speech pattern after the character, there's a pretty basic reference here. Taylor Griffon is an straightforward allusion to Andy Taylor, the sheriff in The Andy Griffith Show. I'm sure you can figure out where I got the name from. It was either that, or we'd have a Sheriff Woody showing up, likely with a limp from that time he found a snake in his boot.

All - well, most - stupidity aside, the orphanage arc isn't as over as it appeared. They're going back, and I've still got some plans for him there. Also came up with a few details for later chapters, so we made progress! The actual return to Katai will be next chapter and a little more detailed than originally planned, since it was meant to be the ending of this chapter.

Next chapter: Adam and Nila return to Katai and face the consequences of their actions.