A/N: Happy Holidays, my faithful readers! After nine excruciatingly long months, guess who's back with another chapter? That would be me! I know I've said it before and that you're tired of hearing it, but I'm going to say it once more. If my updates have become highly infrequent, that is merely because I am an adult lady rather than the teenager I was when I started writing this story. I am a few months away from turning twenty-five, I am one semester away from having a bachelor's degree, I have finally landed my first job in my career field, I am engaged to be married, and I am moving in with my fiancé in a few months. This being said, I have been very busy. I miss working on this story, but I am also very happy with how my life is going, so it balances out.
For those of you who are still reading this story, thank you so much for sticking with it! Because it has been such a long time, I am including a previously so that you don't have to reread the prior chapters. (I had to reread the previous chapters so that I could write this chapter, so I feel your pain! Yes... I'm pathetic. I forget what I write in my own story...) Anyway, this chapter is a Christmas present from me to you, and I made it long, so I certainly hope that you enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans
Note: The "previously" is optional. If you wish, you may skip past it :)
Previously…
After being stranded on planet Earth for five long years following the destruction of her planet, sixteen-year-old Damiana found herself in Steel City. Steel City was home to the Titans East, and one night after six months of living there, the young alien ran into Titan Speedy. Through a complex series of events, the girl who had previously been known as a loner ended up assisting the archer and his team against a dangerous villain. This villain is known as Black Shadow. He is a danger not only to the Titans, but also to the Justice League.
Over a span of three weeks not only did Damiana join Titans East under the name "Firelight", but she also ended up journeying to Metropolis to assist in Black Shadow's defeat. The villain had access to a machine capable of opening rifts to any planet during any historical period. Were he to find an infinite power source to keep the machine stable, he would become an even greater threat.
Upon arriving in the city of Metropolis, the girl came face-to-face with many unforeseeable realities. Until Robin, Starfire, and Frostbite arrived to assist them, it was Firelight, Cyborg and Speedy's job to search the Metropolis Museum of History and Astrology. Black Shadow had sent a signal there upon the completion of his machine, and the trio was determined to figure out what he was after. Although, two of the young Titans found much more than Black Shadow's prize. What Damiana and the undercover "Roy" stumbled upon changed their lives eternally.
For five years Damiana had wandered planet Earth alone, disguised as a human and horribly isolated. Then, by chance, she bumped into an old family friend. Adriel was a Knight trained for the very purpose of protecting Dabnod, as was Damiana's elder brother, Saeran. The very fact that he was alive should have been impossible! Yet, Adriel managed to survive.
Meanwhile, Roy had made his own discoveries during their time in Metropolis. During his short three weeks with who he knew as "Leila", he noticed a few oddities. The girl's tendency to speak in a bizarre, unknown, language when emotional. The fact that she concealed her hair and eyes using contact lenses and hair dye. Eventually he also discovered that her race of people was massacred, and that when the dye wears off, her hair changes color. All of this seemed like an unsolvable puzzle to Roy. That is, until he came upon one specific exhibit at the museum they were searching.
The exhibit was called "Planets of the Past", and the primary planet it encompassed was one known as Dabnod. The color-changing hair, the language, the massacre of her people, everything came together during that tour. Not to mention that Leila painted the walls of her room back at the Titans East Tower with pictures of violet grasses; photographs that matched her paintings to the letter hung on the museum walls. The tour guide also informed them of Dabnodian clan symbols, as well as the jewelry that was received when coming of age. Leila wore her clan symbol on a metal band on her right upper arm, just as the guide explained was common for women.
It didn't take long for the Titans' mission to slip Roy's mind. All the young archer could focus on at that point was Leila. Less than a day was what it took for him to confront her.
Damiana was petrified when Roy first found out, but quickly came to the realization the he didn't think differently of her. There was no judgement, no fear, and he did not think her an invader. Roy's only goal was learning more about her. He was genuinely curious, and this warmed both of Damiana's hearts to the core. The two of them spent all that night talking about the late planet Dabnod.
Unfortunately, happiness came to an end the very next day. With the assistance of Adriel, who was an employee at the museum, Cyborg, Roy, and Damiana searched areas that were off-limits to the general public. Worst came to worst, and the result of their search was devastating. Black Shadow appeared. It turned out that he took what he wanted several days ago. A rare Earth mineral known as Zenotrum was missing. In a large enough quantity, Zenotrum functioned as a long-lasting power supply. If Black Shadow used the sample he took to locate more, it would truly be over.
Sadly, the three Titans and Adriel didn't get the opportunity to stop the villain. He vanished as quickly as he appeared, leaving a large, three-headed, dragon for them to battle. They were able to defeat Black Shadow's monster with their combined strength, protecting several hundred civilians. In the process, however, the Teen Titans were revealed to the world. Metropolis was under Justice League protection, making it off limits to the Titans. It would only be a matter of time before they were hunted down by the big heroes and punished severely.
Cyborg, Speedy, and Firelight returned to Adriel's residence in shame that night. When Robin, Starfire, and Frostbite made it to them, it would come time to share their shame and formulate a plan. Much to everyone's surprise, however, the Fates seemed to have different plans. Even with the endless surprises that those three days in Metropolis brought, it appeared that there was one more surprise in store. Saeran, too, had miraculously survived the destruction of Dabnod.
Under any other set of circumstances, the discovery of Saeran's survival would have been magnificent. Alas, this situation was different. Starfire, the princess of Tamaran, was present during their reunion. Having heard them speak in their native language, she became immediately aware of their race. Although she did not say anything outright, Damiana quickly realized that Starfire was aware of what she and her family were. Emotions running high, a heated argument ensued between the Tamaranean princess and the Fire Phoenix siblings. As a result, Cyborg, Robin, and the remainder of the Titans in Steel City soon realized the full truth of her, Saeran's, and Adriel's identities. Roy and Raven, having already known who Damiana and Saeran were, worked to convince the rest of the Titans of Firelight and Frostbite's innocence. Starfire herself took mercy on them.
By the time the team video conference had ended, however, the Titans made a horrifying discovery. Having assumed that they would be despised for their lineage and expelled from the team, Adriel, Saeran, and Damiana had deserted the Titans and their mission to defeat Black Shadow. Or at least that's what they thought…
Mere hours after making their hasty exit, Saeran and Adriel returned. To Roy, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg's dismay, Damiana was not with them. When the trio of Dabnodians had left the night prior, Adriel had led them to the Metropolis Mines beneath the city claiming that it would be a safe place for a good night's rest. Instead, the mines turned out to be filled with zenotrum, and as a result, was also the hidden lair of their villain. Adriel and Damiana had discovered buckets of zenotrum while exploring the tunnels that morning while Saeran had been asleep. It was during this exploration that Black Shadow appeared, Damiana was captured, and Adriel escaped by what he called "coincidence".
Trust for Adriel was low and the risks of entering Black Shadow's lair were high. Yet, it was a heartbroken Saeran and compassion for their endangered friend that convinced them to rescue Damiana. The rescue, however, did not happen nearly the way the Titans expected. Black Shadow's lair was destroyed and the zenotrum was lost; this portion of the outcome was optimal. Of course, all of this was minimal in light of the true reason that Adriel lured them into the Metropolis Mines. By use of Black Shadow's rift machine, Adriel had sent Damiana and Roy back in time to Dabnod.
Adriel was brought back to the Titans East Tower in Steel City where he was imprisoned by Robin and Bumblebee. Much to the Teen Titans' anger, the bizarre man showed no remorse whatsoever. He merely stated that his actions were necessary for the survival of the Dabnodian people.
Meanwhile on Dabnod, Roy and Damiana have a long journey ahead of them. They have spent nearly a week on Dabnod. During this span, they spent three days in the wilderness prior to being discovered by Tenna, a mountaineer from a rural village known as Whisper Valley.
Tenna informed Damiana of two crucial facts: the date and their location. Damiana and Roy landed in Dabnod's Ninth Province, an area of Dabnod that is nothing besides vast wilderness and small mountain villages. The Ninth Province is weeks, possibly months, away from towns with the technology necessary to fix Black Shadow's machine so that they can return to Earth. Even worse, Damiana and Roy only have a short four months until Dabnod is wiped out of existence.
During their week on Dabnod, Damiana and Roy have already overcome two insurmountable hurdles - finding civilization and teaching Roy the Dabnodian language through the art of language transference. Now, before they can begin travelling to more modern provinces in search of technology to repair Black Shadow's machine, there are other hurdles that must be faced - gaining acceptance from the people of Dabnod and surviving a harsh winter known as the frost.
Will Damiana and Roy be ostracized due to their status as a Noble Lady and a human? Will there be proper shelter and enough food to survive the frost? Will Damiana's new friend, fourteen-year-old Aika, safely give birth to hers and her husband's new child? The duo never imagined the number of struggles that they would have to overcome before they can even come close to returning home.
Today, however, their primary focus is preparing for the frost along with the people of Whisper Valley.
Part IV: Unraveled: Chapter Forty-One
Preserving food so that it is safe to eat later is never something that occurred to Damiana. When living with Mama and Saeran, she always had plenty to eat. The thought of not having enough seemed ludicrous! Saving food simply wasn't necessary. As for her time on planet Earth, preserving food wasn't necessary then, either. Before growing to around thirteen or fourteen years old, there were few sources of income. Nobody would trust her to babysit or clean their house. So, during those rare times when she was able get ahold of food, it would be gone as quickly as she bought it. Or, during her early years, as quickly as she stole it.
When learning that the people in Whisper Valley have to preserve the produce that they grow and every animal that is hunted, the thought astounded Damiana. Before coming here, the struggle that people who provide their own sustenance go through didn't once occur to her. If they run out of food, out of money, have gone four days without eating, and feel their stomach acid chewing away at their insides, they can't sneak inside of a gas station and grab a prepackaged sandwich. If all of the food they stored has turned bad, if the animals they hunt are hibernating, and if there are no crops left to harvest, their only option is starvation.
Tenna didn't say much to trigger this realization. Just a mere few sentences. "That cursed man from the Queen's Council and the Royal Knights recruited most of our men during harvest time. Along with our most capable men, they asked for a substantial portion of our crops to support the military. I praise the Fates that they didn't discover the berry patches in the woods or the large number of fish in our river, or our elderly and children might not survive."
"You said that you sent out a hunting party. Will that provide food as well?"
"Absolutely. Raezik and his son, Kish, are highly skilled at trapping. As for Linden, he is a skilled water user from the Water Flower clan. He can take water from thin air, craft it into a spear, and kill a wild yirnit from twenty feet away. Everyone was averse to Linden at first, but without him, our village wouldn't survive."
The Noble Lady was so astonished that she nearly passed out. The Water Flower clan? That is the most powerful clan of water users in the Capital City! Nearly every person in that clan is a Knight Master or a Scribe Master! Those positions in the Palace are not easy to attain, either. How did a skilled water user from the Water Flower clan end up in a backwoods village in the ninth province?!
Tenna laughed at her facial expression. "If you're curious about Linden and Aika, don't fret. I'm sure they would be more than happy to tell you everything. It will help pass time during the frost."
This is all that was said. They veered off the path and into the forest. Rising smoke is what hinted that they were not taking an indiscriminate hike, but that they were proceeding toward a destination. The area that they arrived at could not have been described as a clearing. Rather, it was a small section of forest that had a dozen trees rather than two dozen. Sitting amongst the trees, almost appearing picturesque beneath the violet and lilac canopy, was a wooden hut. The structure must have been a lovely shade of white when it was first erected, but it turned yellow with age and gray with smoke. Somehow, the hut still managed to look quaint despite having seen better years.
Occupying the area outside of the hut were twenty or so ladies. They ranged in age from small girls to elderly women. Even so, most were in their teens, twenties, and thirties. The tasks they performed varied so greatly that Damiana could barely observe them all. Some women were mixing odd concoctions of what looked like molasses, water, and another clear substance. It smelled far too strongly to have been water. Vinegar, perhaps? After combining the ingredients, the molasses mixture was poured over a barrel of bright, green, berries. Another group of ladies poured a concoction of what appeared to be salt and vinegar over vegetables in a barrel. If Damiana remembers correctly, the vegetables were a mixture of bintlits and jantrix. Bintlits would be a round, blue, root vegetable, while jantrix are something that would be best described as a cross between a bell pepper and a tomato in earth terms. The color of jantrix are generally dark yellow.
The remainder of ladies were working with meat products. Some women scaled fish while others gutted and skinned what looked like qwernals. Qwernals are very similar to squirrels, the differences being that they are closer to the size of a housecat and lack a bushy tail. Those who weren't gutting and cleaning the animals were separating them into pieces. Some pieces were split into thin, long, cuts and placed on a single piece of string as one would string beads onto a necklace. Others were cut into medium-sized chunks prior to being coated in salt, and then were placed in a barrel that was filled with a thick, grainy, substance. Probably seeds of some sort.
How Damiana is able to remember this morning's events so well, she isn't sure. Nonetheless, she is happy that she does. It will make tomorrow all the easier. Remembering one particular woman's loud voice makes the Noble Lady want to remember as much as possible about food preparation.
"Don't mix up the barrels, girls! The old barrels of meat need to be brought to the smokehouse, and the new barrels need to be kept in the root cellar! Put the vegetables in the root cellar, too! Make sure they are on the left side. The right side is for the meat. As for the berries, keep them outside behind the smokehouse. We need to allow the syrup time to freeze."
"We've done this before…"
"And you've ruined the order they go in before! That's why I'm reminding you!"
The woman shouting was elderly, her hair long and without much color. The instant she spotted Tenna, a scowl emerged. If Damiana wasn't mistaken, she seemed like she'd rather have Tenna dead than alive.
"You didn't move to Murmur Creek yet? I'm starting to get angry at the Fates. They still haven't answered that prayer, and I pray it every morning!"
It was the mountain woman's smile in that moment that caused Damiana to like her. Tenna's smile appeared so kind and genuine that she may have been mistaken for Starfire. The sarcasm beneath it, however, was unmistakable.
"Good morning, Rinka. What a pleasure it is to see you today. It seems the Fates aren't ready to meet you in person yet, seeing as you're still with us."
"Pleasant as always, Tenna. You should permanently bless Murmur Creek with that sweetness."
"Why would I do that? You'll miss me too much." It took every ounce of Damiana's willpower to withhold laughter. That is, until the mountain woman continued. "Besides. If I'd stayed in Murmur Creek, Whisper Valley would not be blessed with the two marvelous gifts I brought with me."
She cannot remember for certain if all eyes were on them, but it certainly felt like it.
"More mouths to feed? Are those your 'gifts'?"
"Not quite. My gifts are more hands for working. Meet Lady Fire Phoenix, a skilled fire user from the Capital City who I'm sure will be of much assistance to us in the smokehouse. She also has a friend, a strong young man who is helping the others complete the yertkitz."
"More hands for working still means more mouths for feeding." Rinka sighed. "But if this girl can smoke the meat at a quicker rate then our cookfires and burn less wood while doing it, then I'll wait until after the frost to call you a Fate-damned fool."
Somehow, that brought an end to their conversation. None of the other women spoke to her. They merely stared as Tenna lead her inside the smokehouse. There were also whispers, but Damiana can't recall a word they'd said. All the girl can remember is the inside of the miniscule shack. It was well-built and sturdy, the only gap in the wood being a small hole for ventilation. Three women busied themselves by stringing cuts of meat from the rafters. One of them was Aika. Watching the doe-eyed girl move from one side of the smokehouse to the other while hanging thin cuts of meat was almost comical. She waddled rather than walked and reaching the hooks to hang them from was nearly impossible due to the magnitude of her stomach. How Aika was working rather than lying in bed with an aching back astonished Damiana immensely.
More astonishing, however, was the fact that the pregnant girl managed a beaming grin despite how sore everything likely felt. "Good morning, Lady Fire Phoenix! You certainly look rested and refreshed. I trust that you slept well?"
Whether the other two women stared is something that Damiana cannot recall. The only thing woven into her memory are Aika's butter yellow tresses and warm, summer yellow, eyes.
"Yes, I slept quite well. Thank you for asking."
With that said, she took the Noble Lady by the hand and lead her to the back of the smokehouse where massive barrels of meat sat. Tenna had left them alone by then. Where she had gone is a blur; something about helping the girls in the root cellar. Meanwhile, Aika explained that the meat in the barrels had to be strung up and hung from the rafters. Only the barrels that the women working in the root cellar had moved to the smokehouse, she'd specified. The barrels in the root cellar were to be left alone because most had another day before they could be removed from the brine. Before the meat can be smoked, Damiana learned that it had to bathe in salt for three days, then it had to soak in a brine made from water, more salt, and molasses for six weeks. Nearly all of the meat has been soaked. All that was left was the smoking.
"Normally getting all of these barrels of meat smoked would take five days. Smoking takes six to twelve hours. But with you heating the fire, we can get it done in half the time! That means all our food will be prepared before the frost, and nothing will be left in the cellar inedible."
"So that's what I'm doing is smoking the meat?"
"Yep. Once you help me hang everything in this barrel from the rafters, you will be in charge of keeping the fire hot. Instead of six to twelve hours, it will only take three to six hours to smoke the meat. That means that there will be time to remove everything from the rafters, hang up new meat, and smoke all of that too!"
There were six barrels of meat in front of them. If they normally smoked one or two barrels of meat a day, Damiana understood why Aika was so happy to have a fire user in their midst. It is for this reason that the girl did not complain about using her abilities for such a long period of time. Instead, she smiled in compliance, grabbed a rope, and strung the meat in the same fashion as the other ladies. Afterward, she went over to the fire pit, added wood, and kept the fire burning as hotly as possible. She'd expected a long, quiet, day of doing nothing but concentrating on her fire. Thankfully Aika continued visiting and chatted with her at various intervals.
"I cannot wait for you to meet Linden! He will be excited to meet another Noble!", "I'm glad that the others are letting me sit down and rest my back. They're being so kind to me!" and "I think my baby is going to be a boy, but Linden is very insistent that it will be a girl. What do you think?" These are all of the various conversation topics that the morning and afternoon consisted of.
Damiana had been removing a second batch of smoked meat from the rafters after many continuous hours of heating the smokehouse with her fire. Altogether she had managed to smoke two barrels. She was getting a quick snack of fish and berries, stretching her legs, and preparing to smoke a third barrel when every woman's concentration was broken. It was broken by a single, ecstatic, shout from somewhere outside the smokehouse.
"The hunting party has returned!"
If the girl could have had it her way, she would have remained in the smokehouse packing the finished meat into an empty crate. Afterward she would have used the commotion to tiptoe up the path to the yertkitz to secretly check up on Roy. He had been alone with the men of Whisper Valley all day, and frankly, she was growing concerned… She hadn't gotten to do what she'd wanted, of course. Instead, Aika grabbed Damiana by the wrist and pulled her outside in a burst of energy.
"My husband's back! You absolutely must meet him right now!"
The men looked exactly as Damiana had anticipated. Large, hulking, and bearded. The only exception to this trend was Linden. He was certainly tall and certainly muscular, but not frighteningly so. Also unlike the other men, he sported a clean shave. The most prominent distinction between Linden and the others, however, was something not easily explainable.
It was in his stride, in his posture, in his gaze, and when he first spoke, it was instantly distinguishable in his voice. This would be a deeply interwoven mixture of power and grace that only Dabnodian Nobility possess. Truth be told, Linden was likely unaware of this distinction that set him apart, and if he had been aware, not much could be done about it. The personality of a Noble cannot be unlearned. Acting as a Noble is a way of existing that is ingrained into Dabnodian Nobility from birth, which eventually becomes their entire way of being. Damiana is fully aware that she possesses many of the same traits as Linden. Like him, she is unmistakably Noble.
The others who ambled around the clearing discussed how the hunt was successful, but not as successful as they would have liked. Had they killed a wild yirnit or two, or perhaps one very large beast, then they would have felt fully satisfied. Meanwhile, the women who had previously been organizing the root cellar set about preparing the carcasses for salting and for storage. This left Linden, Aika, and Damiana staring at one another. Damiana cannot recall most of the exchange, as much of it was the jubilant embraces of lovers and uncomfortable introductions. All she remembers in depth is one particular statement from the Nobleman before she'd returned to smoking the meat.
"So, you're Nobility too, and you're from the Fire Phoenix clan! I truly admire your courage at attempting retreat. Considering how the Queen's successor is from that clan, escaping Guayusa's watchful eye must have taken considerable skill."
There hadn't been a chance to reply. Tenna pulled Linden and Aika aside the instant she'd spotted them. The interruption had something to do with the nature of Aika's pregnancy. The entire evening after that is nothing more than a blur to Damiana. She knows for certain that she smoked one last barrel of meat, but the details of those few hours are not present. Afterward Damiana had walked back to Tenna's cabin alongside the mountain lady. The two women chatted, but what they'd talked about is a mystery.
Even now as they scurry about the kitchen preparing a steaming stew of fish, bintlits, and an onion-like vegetable called ilk, Damiana pays little attention to their conversation. The single thing running through her mind is Linden's remark about Her Highness' "watchful eye". It makes Her Majesty Queen Guayusa sound so…sinister! Had his wife been less pleasant or less pregnant, she may have asked the Water Flower Nobleman to watch his tongue!
Eventually this is the remark that earns her attention. "If your silence is because you are worried about Roy, then it's alright. The men always return to their homes later than the womenfolk. After all, someone needs to clean the house and do the cooking."
Damiana, who had been busily dicing ilk, stares at Tenna in surprise. "What? No! I'm not worried about Roy. He knows how to take care of himself."
The mountaineer shakes her head in disbelief as she stirs the bubbling concoction. "You don't have to lie. Every woman in this village worries about their husbands when they leave on hunting trips or leave to join the war. I worried for my own husband until the day he died. Women are supposed to worry for their lovers. Especially you, seeing as your lover is a foreigner."
Immense frustration is the girl's single most prominent emotion. Does she truly seem like the sort of pathetic female to be pining over the safety of a lover? Damiana considers correcting Tenna and confessing her true concerns, but she rejects the idea. Voicing her support for Queen Guayusa may not be wise considering how it was the Queen's war that brought about the death of her husband and the abduction of most of Whisper Valley's men. Thankfully Damiana doesn't have to say anything. The two young men they had been waiting on burst through the door.
"Guess what, Zaesa? Most people on Earth don't have Roy's hair. Most Earth people have brown or black hair!"
Caen rushes over to his mother in a whir, the child's seafoam tresses horribly askew from a long day of work. Tenna strokes her son's hair and pulls him close in a hug.
"Really? I didn't know that."
"Yeah, it's true! Most people don't have red hair – that's what his hair is called. There's also another color called blonde. Roy says that kind of hair is pale and looks close to the color yellow."
Tenna and Caen chatter back and forth, the child spilling all the details of his conversations with Roy. Meanwhile, Damiana finds her gaze drifting to the doorway. The archer loiters just inside the entrance. Everything from his tan pants, brown tunic, handsome face, and ginger locks are stained by dirt and the dark blue sap of the trees that surround this village. Based on his slouching gait and the fatigue written across his features, the day has been nothing short of exhausting. Damiana tosses the last of the ilk into the cauldron before sauntering toward her teammate. She takes him by the forearm and leads him inside with a soothing smile.
"Why don't you come inside and sit down, Roy? You look tired. The stew will be done in a few more minutes, and then you can have a hot meal."
"There is a wash basin in the corner," Tenna interjects. "Wash and change your clothes first."
Dragging his feet across the splintering, wooden, floor, he obeys with little protest. "Do you want me to go change in the barn?"
"Heavens no! The sun is going down. If you wash up in there, the water will freeze on your body before it has a chance to dry. Stay in here with the fireplace."
Damiana turns around out of respect, as does the mountaineer. Though, not before catching a glimpse at his muscular back. In fact, this is what causes the girl to turn away so rapidly. Meanwhile, Caen continues with his excited jabbering.
"Raezik likes Roy, Lady Fire Phoenix, so you don't have to worry. He says that Roy is stronger than most of the other boys in Whisper Valley. They finished the entire left wall plus the roof. Raezik says they couldn't have done it without him. Sure, Roy talks funny because he's human, but we can still talk to him, so nobody seems to mind."
Despite the fact that the archer is shirtless, the girl faces him with a beaming grin. "The village men like you? That's great, Roy!"
"Raezik isn't just any village man, either. He's the Head of Whisper Valley. If he likes Roy, then nobody has a choice other than to like him," Tenna adds smugly.
The archer, however, is focused on the latter part of Caen's statement. "I talk funny? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You say some of your words funny, but we can still understand you, so it's alright."
"All Caen means is that you have an accent. You've been speaking English your entire life, so naturally you will have an accent when learning other languages. When I first came to Earth, I had a Dabnodian accent when I tried speaking English. It took a while for me to sound like a native English speaker."
He finishes washing, adorns a clean tunic, and retrieves a bowl of steaming stew that Tenna dishes out. "Alright, fair enough. I guess me having an accent isn't a big deal."
The Noble Lady was about to say that no, his accent is not a big deal at all. In fact, his accent is rather pleasant. Yet, she finds herself unable to speak a single syllable. Emerald green and what Damiana assumes is pale pink meet in what feels like a spontaneous collision. Whether the loss of words is embarrassing or enraging is difficult for her to determine.
"Caen, sweet child, how were the other boys today?"
Tenna deciding to break the silence gives Damiana immense relief. Caen goes into a lengthy tale of how the other boys in the village tried to leave him behind while collecting sap, and then how they openly ridiculed him while they were alone in the forest. Although Damiana feels bad for the child, she remains distracted by her inner thoughts. Since when is mere eye contact with her teammate enough to make her speechless?
Caen continues his story for the entire duration of their supper. Eventually Damiana comes out of her thoughts enough to listen. While in the forest collecting sap, the other boys wouldn't allow Caen to carry, touch, or even go near the sap buckets. They also asked the child to keep his distance from the rest of them, and on several occasions, they requested that he make his way to the smokehouse with the womenfolk. It seems their reasoning was because food preparation does not require being skilled with one's air-using abilities, whereas balancing heavy buckets does.
"…I told them that I can help carry the buckets without air. All I have to do is walk slower. But they said that I'll just trip and spill everything. Then they said that even if I was older, Queen Guayusa's Knights wouldn't have taken me with the rest of the village men anyway. Royal Knights need to have all kinds of talent with their elements. I can barely make a puff of air, so I'm useless."
There are many children who would be sobbing and clinging to their mother while recanting events as horrendous as these. Caen, on the other hand, stews irately. When Tenna reaches over to pat his head, he bats her hand away.
"If you ever want to join me at the smokehouse, you're certainly allowed to."
"No, Zaesa! I'm not a girl!"
It is here that Damiana feels guilty for her previous concern over something as frivolous as awkward eye contact. This child has truly had a terrible day today! When Roy speaks, Damiana is able to look at him without difficulty.
"You are absolutely not a girl, and you aren't useless. Those kids are just being stupid, Caen. Don't listen to them. I have no powers whatsoever, and I'm still a superhero on Earth. Powers don't make the man."
Midnight blue strands return to the colors of seafoam as the child's ocean mist eyes dart over to Roy. Caen looks nothing short of dumbfounded. Features shift once more, these colors being shades of gold brighter than the sun. Hope gleams in every facet of little boy's face. Once glance at Caen warms both of Damiana's hearts thoroughly.
"Really? I thought fighting without powers would be hard."
"That's what hard work and training are for. I had to start training with Green Arrow when I was young to get to where I'm at now. Learning to fight without powers is hard, but it's not impossible."
Caen shoots up from his seat, his empty bowl tumbling to the floor. Tenna collects Caen's bowl, as well as everyone else's, and takes them to the sink as her son moves closer to the redhead.
"You started training when you were little and without powers? Weren't you afraid of getting hurt?"
"Yes, but that's what training and a teacher are for. If you train while you're a kid and if you have someone to teach you, protecting yourself during a fight is easier. I was about your age when Green Arrow started training me, so now that I'm older, I can protect myself easier because I'm experienced."
Although the child does not ask the question directly, he still does a poor job of being subtle. "I wish there was someone to teach me like Green Arrow taught you."
Damiana stands and walks to the kitchen, fully prepared to give them the guy time that Caen clearly craves. Tenna, however, speaks bluntly from the other side of the room.
"This isn't Earth, Caen. Learning to fight without powers on a planet like Dabnod is pointless. We have each other, and that's all we need." Tenna scowls at Damiana, causing the Noble Lady to freeze. Next she turns her glare on the redhead, who visibly flinches. "Lady Fire Phoenix, help me clean the kitchen. Caen and Roy, go to sleep. Caen, I don't expect to hear any talking from you."
Tenna's wishes are answered. Damiana boils a pot of wash water with her fire and helps clean the dishes in silence. As for Roy and Caen, they lay out their bedrolls and go to sleep immediately. Another word isn't spoken for the rest of the night. Of course, words are not needed. Tenna's cool, silver, eyes say everything.
"Keep Roy away from my son."
This morning was just as tense as last night. Tenna's pointed gaze was on Roy as he ascended the pathway alongside her son. A teacher's irate glare is what it felt like, and he felt like the kid who had been caught making a paper airplane.
"Have a good day, Caen, and remember that you can always join me at the smokehouse. There is no need for violence against the other children."
The boy's seafoam ponytail shifted to what is best described as an ash-laden ocean. "I am not joining you at the smokehouse. I'm too old! I want to stay with Roy at the yertkitz."
At that point, the archer didn't just feel like the kid who made the paper airplane. He felt as if he were caught throwing the airplane. Tenna's scowl was hot on his back, and he didn't even understand the reason. The woman's child lives in a place where everyone is proficient with an element besides him. Shouldn't she be happy that there is someone who knows how to defend themselves without powers and who is capable of teaching her son self-defense?
The archer feels increasingly frustrated with the mountaineer, not to mention Damiana. The girl is feisty with a quick temper. Why has she not stood up to Tenna on his and Caen's behalf? Honestly, Roy wishes that completing the yertkitz would take longer than was initially planned. Then maybe he could avoid the lady who decided to hate him simply because he told her kid that he isn't a wimp!
Doing his best to shove the anger aside, Roy finishes filling in the cracks and crevices using sap and scrap wood. The large slabs were replaced for the right wall a few hours ago, and that was the last of the heavy work. Now all that is left is filling in every miniscule nook so that the frost's icy breeze is unable to seep inside. Some men work on the outside while others work on the inside.
"I don't know how cold it gets on Earth, but it probably doesn't compare to the frost. Since you helped us finish the yertkitz early, we're taking extra time to fill in the cracks more thoroughly. Me and my dad are also going ask everyone to bring extra pelts. We can attach them to the walls for better insulation. We overheard Caen talking to Linden earlier. He said humans don't have a second heart, so they can't control their body temperature, and they get cold easier. Is that the truth?"
Roy has been working alongside Raezik's tall, lanky, son all morning. Frankly, Kish is a chatterbox. Of course, he's also a nice guy. Because of this, Roy overlooks the chattiness. Right now, however, the archer is grateful more than anything. He didn't want to admit it, but it has been especially nippy this morning. Yesterday was also unpleasant, but the heavy work of lifting large slabs of wood kept him moving and kept him warm. With most of the heavy work over, the chill is seeping through his fur tunic and into his bones.
"That's the truth. I don't have a second heart, so I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to the frost."
Raezik laughs heartily. "It's baffling why Kish had to ask. You have been shuddering all morning and your lips are turning blue. Your physical form clearly isn't built for handling the extreme temperatures of the ninth province." A bundle of maroon animal pelts is thrusted into the archer's arms. "Here. If you are to be of any use to us in our final hunting expedition before the frost, then you will need these. And tell that hag, Tenna, to provide you with an extra tunic. I'm certain that she has more than enough to spare, and if she doesn't, then she shouldn't have taken you in."
Roy is immediately confused. Didn't the other men just return from hunting yesterday? Apparently, he isn't the only person who is perplexed, because a man known as Linden speaks up.
"Raezik, sir, I am by no means trying to undermine your authority. I am just asking for confirmation. Did you say that we are doing another hunting expedition?"
"Yes, I did. Thanks to Roy's extra muscle, the yertkitz is completely finished aside from some minor patchwork. The boys can finish the patchwork up while we're away. I already showed them what they need to do. We have two extra days to work with, so we should take advantage of them."
"What about the womenfolk? Will they have time to prepare anything we catch?" asks another.
"Where have you been? Under a rock?" Raezik exclaims. "Roy is traveling with a Noble Lady from the Fire Phoenix clan. They are getting the meat prepared in half the time."
The Head of Whisper Valley continues bantering with the men of the village. Meanwhile, Roy unfurls the bundle he was given to discover that it contains a heavy parka and thick mittens. He immediately slips into the warmer clothes and puts up the parka's warm hood, relieved to have the edge taken away from the chill. Nonetheless, Raezik is still right. Wearing two tunics in addition to the parka will be necessary if they are going to spend two days outside in the elements. Being ordered to go on a hunting trip by the leader of Whisper Valley? This is a consequence that was not anticipated.
It seems that the villagers have come to an agreement, because this is what Raezik says next. "Let's make our way to the smokehouse and alert the womenfolk that we're taking one final hunting trip. An armful of qwernals, or perhaps a yirnit, or two, and this should give us enough surplus to comfortably survive the frost."
Kish scoffs. Considering Kish's normally chipper demeanor, this causes Roy to flinch in surprise. "Father, at this rate, it is tempting to begin bagging qwerthzigs in addition to the larger game. Many of the animals may be beginning to hibernate, so hunting will likely be difficult."
Damiana assumed that today would be incredibly similar to the day prior. Waking up, cooking breakfast, spending countless hours smoking meat, returning to Tenna's cabin, cooking dinner, and going to sleep. With much of the day revolving around Tenna, this is not a schedule that the Noble Lady particularly enjoys, but it is still a schedule, nevertheless. Schedules are reliable. Schedules are comfortable. Life is easier when they are in place. Especially when she is 'scheduled' to be in the smokehouse where she is either chatting with Aika or alone. Considering how she doesn't have to listen to the mountaineer rant: 'Your human wants to teach my son how to fight! I knew it! I knew this would happen! Keep Roy away from my child, Lady Fire Phoenix!'. The smokehouse portion of her schedule is actually rather pleasant.
However, it seems like Damiana's assumptions were false. There is no schedule to be followed, because it is spontaneously interrupted when Tenna, of all people, pokes her head of mint green hair through the door.
"Lady Fire Phoenix, you need to come out here. Raezik is making an announcement."
The snapping of branches and the ruffling of foliage can be heard, suggesting that the crowd of men who had been working on the yertkitz are growing nearer. Damiana nods, stands, dusts the soot from her skirts, and makes her way outside. A very large man, nearly as large as Tenna's brother back in Murmur Creek, stands in the center of both the men and the women. On impulse, the girl finds herself searching the men's side of the crowd for Roy. The archer, who is adorned by a warm-looking parka, meets her eyes with a smile. Damiana smiles back effortlessly. A second later, the large man who is assumed to be Raezik begins speaking.
"Ladies, if I could briefly have your attention, I would like to inform you that the yertkitz is finished. Thanks to our human visitor, Roy, we were able to complete it early. Because we have extra time, and because we often have stragglers from the tenth province who visit during the frost, all able-bodied men over the age of fourteen will be accompanying me on one final hunting trip. We will return in two days' time. Before we go, I will give my men one hour to return home with their wives to gather supplies. Once you have what you need, come to the meeting spot at the village gate. Dismissed."
Suddenly, the cuts of meat hanging in the smokehouse seem nonexistent. As do the barrels of meat, berries, and vegetables that the other women had been preparing for the root cellar. Men and women alike are shoving their way through the crowd in search of their spouses. This includes Damiana. The archer must be searching for her as well, because they meet each other in the middle.
"Are you going on this hunting trip too?" She asks the question without even a moment to say hello.
"Yes I am. Raezik gave me warm clothes specifically because of this hunting trip. He says he doesn't want me to freeze to death while we're in the wilderness. I guess Caen spread the word about me not being able to raise my body temperature like a Dabnodian."
Silence lapses and they merely look at each other for a second, uncertain of how to proceed. Considering how they arrived in Whisper Valley together, she is probably supposed to be the one helping Roy pack. How does one even pack for a hunting trip?
She must look as confused as she feels, because Tenna appears beside them. "Don't just stand there. Go back to my cabin and help Roy pack! He needs a bedroll, a blanket, two days' worth of food, and a knife. I should know. I used to pack for my husband's hunting trips all the time before an idiot taught him how to fight, he went to war, and he died!"
The mountaineer's eyes rest on the redhead with that final remark, causing him to cringe in evident discomfort. "Alright. Well, thank you, Tenna. We didn't know what I needed to bring, and now we know. Come on, Damiana. Let's go pack."
Damiana is being grasped by the arm and dragged from the clearing before she has a chance to react. What was once a mass of people are now pairs of two dispersing in every direction. What surprises Damiana is that many of the husband-and-wife pairs are young, much like Aika and Linden. One pair, likely the same ages as herself and Roy, have a two-year-old walking between them. The child is in tears.
"No! Don't go!"
"It's okay, sweetie. Zaetaka will be back in a couple of days."
It's odd to think that if the villagers didn't know any better, Damiana and Roy would be assumed to be married. Few words pass between them as they meander up the dirt path toward Tenna's cabin. Rather, they find themselves people watching. The only time they speak is when an adolescent boy calls out to them. This would be the same couple with the two-year-old that she had been observing. The boy is tall and lanky, possessing a pointed nose and long chin. His hair gleams bright bronze, and his eyes are the color of honey.
"Hey! Is that the Noblewoman from the Fire Phoenix clan that you're traveling with?"
The girl is bewildered until Roy answers. "Yes. This is Damiana."
"It's very nice to meet her! This is my wife, Zei and our daughter, Zeika. They will help me pack, and then I will be on my way to the village gates. Do you need help finding your way there?"
"I might. I'm unfamiliar with the layout of the village."
Roy's friend smiles. "That's perfectly alright. Meet me at the yertkitz once you're done packing, and we can go there together."
With that said, they separate and continue walking.
"Was that a friend of yours?" Damiana inquires curiously.
The redhead smirks happily. "Yes. His name's Kish."
Suddenly, Damiana feels silly having worried all day yesterday. If anyone can make friends, especially on an alien planet where he has only known the language a short time, it's Roy. He can survive no matter the circumstances. As she rushes about the cabin packing leftover rintcakes, a small portion of smoked fish, a handful of berries, and two large portions of qwernal jerky into a burlap bag, the girl feels a little bit better about this hunting trip. Of course, considering how Roy is a foreigner journeying to the middle of the wilderness with a bunch of aliens with elemental abilities, she still doesn't feel great about it… Not everyone can be as friendly as that guy, Kish, was…
The girl fills a leather flask to the brim with water from Tenna's outside pump beside the entranceway. She places this in Roy's pack alongside the burlap sack of food. Seeing as Roy is occupied with securing his sleeping bag and extra blankets, Damiana busies herself with grabbing an extra tunic. She digs through Tenna's things until finding a tunic and man's pants that appear big enough to fit Roy. A minute later they are folded neatly and packed along with the food and water.
"I know your food doesn't look like much, but there's plenty in there. Hopefully Tenna doesn't mind that I gave you the rest of the rintcakes, but even if she does, I don't care. You'll be in the wilderness for two straight days, so you'll need the energy. I also packed an extra tunic and extra pants in case you need more layers. I don't want to bring you back to Earth half-frozen, so make sure you bundle up."
The archer hoists the pack onto his back along with his bow and quiver. When he looks at her, it is not with a playful smirk, but with a kind smile. Oddly, this kind smile gives her as many butterflies as a playful smirk would. Roy moves closer and gently tugs her hair, forest green eyes flecked with brown dancing impishly. The butterflies fluttering in her stomach increase tenfold.
"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you're worried."
Damiana sighs. "Just a little bit. These people are leery of outsiders, so I hope it goes well."
"You, Lady Fire Phoenix, are forgetting that I'm Speedy. I'm sure Titan Speedy can handle being a little chilly in the woods with a bunch of bearded guys for a couple of days."
When Roy says this, it is in English. It has only been a day or two, but Damiana missed the sound of Roy's English voice. It soothes her. As he turns, it is apparent that he is moving toward the door. Before he moves a step further, Damiana throws herself at him in an embrace. This action would have embarrassed the girl only a week ago, but now she doesn't care. Roy stiffens at first, but quickly returns the hug. He even runs his fingers through her curled tresses and rubs her back.
"It's alright. I'll be back. See you in two days, Dami."
"See you later, Roy. Good luck."
At last, she releases him, and Roy walks out the door. For the longest time, the Noble Lady doesn't move. She stands in the empty cabin trying not to let anxiety eat at her.
The Next Day
Normally Roy wouldn't thank any form of deity for anything. Religion is based on blind faith, and blind faith makes you irrational at best or a brainwashed zealot at worst. Of course, being on Dabnod, he feels like he should thank the Fates at least a little bit. If it weren't for Kish, Raezik, and Linden, this hunting expedition would have been a complete disaster.
When first meeting Linden, Roy wasn't sure if he would like him. The archer immediately thought that the younger teen was notably different. Flawlessly straight posture, a walk that oozes confidence, the use of lengthier and more flowery words… Put simply, Linden's status as Nobility makes complete sense. When comparing him to Damiana, her own status as a Noble becomes clearer. When speaking Dabnodian rather than English, her words sound very articulate. Not to mention, she has a distinct walk unique from that of the inhabitants of Whisper Valley, and also unique from the villagers back in Murmur Creek. It is difficult to explain without watching her, but there is power behind her walk. The best way to describe it is that her stride contains absolute strength, similar to her rigid posture.
He feels guilty for thinking this way, especially since Linden is every bit as kind to him as Kish, and especially since Damiana is becoming his closest friend, but the villagers' dissatisfaction with Nobility is reasonable. After listening to the Dabnodian men's conversation last night around the campfire while he was supposed to be asleep, their discontent with Roy himself is equally reasonable.
"Why would Raezik bring the human man? Just because he was useful for repairing the yertkitz doesn't mean that he can hunt."
Another man scoffed. "Better a human than another Nobleman. At least Roy isn't arrogant."
"Yeah, but arrogant or not, Linden is a highly proficient water user. The human just has pointy sticks and some sort of launching mechanism. That gadget may work to kill a qwernal, but if we have to take down a large beast, it will take skilled air users working together with Linden to kill it."
The man who'd previously scoffed sighed. "Your argument is valid. I think Roy is a good fellow, but if we find a larkack, he had better high tail it out of here. Lady Fire Phoenix may burn Whisper Valley to the ground if her lover is killed."
A third person joined the conversation. "A larkack? Really? We only managed to find two qwernals! Bigger creatures like yirnits and larkacks are probably hibernating."
Roy had fallen asleep by that point, so he hadn't heard the rest of the conversation. Although most of what they said was a matter of debate, one statement was nothing short of absolute truth. Most of the animals are in fact hibernating. It is early afternoon, and only one qwernal was captured today. This makes a total of three. Seeing as the squirrel-like creatures are about the size of a Pomeranian dog, this won't contribute much to their food supply. Once they're skinned of their fluffy coats, usually magenta or orange, the meat will probably appear even more miniscule.
Roy has been squatting patiently in this tree for eons, as has the rest of the hunting party in trees all throughout this forest. Not once has the swoosh of an air attack or the frantic chittering of an animal been heard in the distance. Linden, who is sitting on a branch three feet below, calls up to the redhead.
"Do you want to break for lunch back at the campsite? If a yirnit hasn't poked their head out of the brush in the past seven hours, then I doubt they will come out to frolic during our one-hour break."
"Should we really go all the way back to the campsite for lunch? I have some berries and some qwernal jerky left that we can share."
"Actually, if you would be willing to share a small portion, I could make stew. Qwernal jerky, wild fungus, wild miltkith flowers, and some of the ilk and bintlits I brought with me would make a good meal."
The archer takes a moment to consider this. Most of the men here think that Roy's bow and arrow are a joke, and that he would be useless in combat against anything larger than one of those giant, tailless, squirrels. As for Linden, to the rest of the village, he is nothing more than an arrogant Nobleman. Leaving their post wouldn't make either of them look any better.
"I don't know… I have food with me, so we should probably stay put."
That, however, is when a voice calls up to them. It is none other than Kish. "Actually, I'm going back to camp, too. I accidentally left my food pouch inside my sleeping bag this morning. I can give you a portion of my qwernal jerky, too, and all of us can have some stew."
Seeing as it is two against one, Roy finally relents. "Alright, fine. Let's go back to camp."
The archer and the Nobleman land on their feet amongst the violet grasses, making the leap of more than ten feet appear effortless. They amble through lilac-colored bushes and crush pure white twigs beneath their boots as they make the brief journey, Kish prattling on the entire time.
"Everyone is taking a break right now, so it isn't a big deal. Zaetaka and most everyone else is away checking the traps that we set when we first arrived. It should only be us and a few others back at camp. Maybe if they have meat and vegetables, we can add that to the stew too, and it'll make a really big pot! I don't like to complain, but I don't really like taking hunting trips a few days before the frost. It is way too cold! What if it starts to frost while we're out here? Then what? Not a smart idea if you ask me. But at least the stew will warm us up. And, Roy, are you alright? Having only one heart, it must be even colder for you! I imagine that Lady Fire Phoenix must be worried..."
Neither Roy nor Linden provide anything longer than a three-word response to any of these remarks, because Kish is already onto the next topic. The only time Raezik's chatterbox of a son grows silent is to help chop up ingredients for the stew. There are only four others at camp, all of them younger than Roy. They do not hesitate to stare at the human brazenly. At first, he ignores the gaping, but eventually he turns around to acknowledge them.
"Hey, guys. It's a good afternoon for some stew. Don't you think?"
They each grab food from their own burlap sacks, some meat and some vegetables, and meander closer to the campfire. Chopping off one piece at a time, the iron kettle slowly becomes fuller. Eventually, one of the younger boys speaks.
"How in the name of the Fates are you supposed to fight with a string that launches pointy sticks?"
"Yeah? Do those even hurt anything?"
Roy cuts the last few pieces off from the chunk of jerky, tosses it in the kettle, and brushes off his hands. Meanwhile, he shrugs nonchalantly. "My weapon is called a bow and arrow. My arrows are crafted so that they have a different effect when they make contact. Some of them just stab, but others have effects like freezing objects or exploding. So yes, they hurt things, which is why I don't use them unless I have to."
The boys exchange glances prior to asking another question. "Are you really a superhero on Earth? It's hard to believe that someone with no powers can fight crime."
"Yes, I really am a superhero, and I'm not the only one without powers. My mentor, Green Arrow, doesn't have powers. Neither do Batman and Robin. Huntress, Bat Girl, and Artemis also do not have any powers. It's possible for people without powers to fight crime."
Again, the boys exchange glances. This time they talk amongst themselves as well. Roy pays no attention to what they say. He merely takes time to stir the stew. When they make an additional inquiry, the archer grunts in irritation.
"If you're so confident that powers are unnecessary, then why don't you teach Caen a thing or two?"
"That isn't a question for me. That is a question for Tenna."
With that said, the throng turns completely silent. Thankfully, the stew is finished cooking rather quickly. Thus, giving them the ability to eat and an excuse to avoid talking. The only person who talks is Kish, who repeatedly compliments Linden on his culinary abilities. Roy, on the other hand, barely tastes the stew. His sole focus is on consuming the contents of his wooden bowl so that he and Linden can return to squatting amongst the trees' high branches for six more hours. Better to be up there and at peace than on the ground being interrogated.
The trio is done eating, fully prepared to exit the campsite and leave the younger boys behind. A soft rumbling is heard in the distance, but this is not something that they pay any attention to. That is, until a thunderous ROAR echoes through the trees. The ground quivers, Linden's kettle tipping over and the boys leaping to their feet. Frantic screeching is heard as phoenixes are seen exiting the forest above the leafy canopy. If Tenna's phoenix, Ula, was here, there would be absolutely no retrieving her this time.
Emerald eyes filling with horror, Roy looks to his companions. "W-what the heck was that?!"
"Trouble brought by the smell of our cookfire! That's what it is! We need to get out of here quick and go find Raezik!"
Kish scowls at the fourteen-year-old who said that. "Are you kidding? Finding my Zaetaka won't help! There is no way we're going to outrun a larkack!"
Emotions of fright mingle with exasperation. "Will someone please tell me what a larkack is? I'm from Earth, you guys! I can barely tell a uikin apart from a qwerthzig!"
BOOM is the only answer that this inquiry receives, and it is an effective answer. Chalky logs from fallen trees crash to the ground as they are bulldozed over by a gargantuan pair of antlers. A hideous creature in the form of a cow is what these large, moose-like, antlers belong to. Rather than being the size of an Earth cow, this cow is the size of a grizzly bear. Fur doesn't coat it, but instead, porcupine quills. The quills are navy blue while the remainder of the creature is pale blue. This animal looks like a child's drawing from art class, but as is Roy's luck, it is a reality. Not only that, but the beast is scraping its front left hoof against the dirt, appearing ready to charge them.
"Sweet Fates, it really is a larkack! We're going to die! There's no way we'll survive this! We're all going to die!"
The group of four flees from the campsite to take cover in the bushes, likely fifty or more feet away. As for Kish, he ends up climbing a nearby tree while Linden stands beside Roy stiller than a statue. Meanwhile, the archer does not notice where any of the Dabnodian men ran off to nor what any of them are doing. He is much too focused on pulling an arrow from his quiver. It is drawn back in his bow and released with speed that only a thoroughly trained and well-practiced bowman could manage. Massive antlers are tangled in a net only a second later, along with the larkack's face. Roy only ever carries two arrows containing nets on him, so he hopes that utilizing it was truly necessary
Quills suddenly shoot out from its back, these deadly weapons the size of steak knives. On impulse, he takes cover behind a downed log. Although one misses by mere centimeters, not a single quill makes contact. A moment later Roy sits up, launching two more arrows in a single, smooth, motion. These are ice arrows, which freeze its two front hooves to the ground. Another arrow is shot for good measure, coating the beast's torso in a thick layer of ice. An angry roar emits from the larkack, clearly not having anticipated these sorts of attacks. Roy leaps into the air, all the while drawing three more arrows back in his bow and releasing them. Another onslaught of quills come his way exactly as the arrows are being launched. Thankfully, the archer is able to take hasty cover behind a standing tree.
From his place of safety, he sees as these three, normal, arrows impale the beast in the throat. Blood spurts from the open wound like a fountain as the larkack collapses. Never has Roy been so thankful for the decision to conserve his arrows for the duration of his time on Dabnod. Had he used them carelessly while he and Damiana were lost in the wilderness, he may have had a much more difficult time fighting this thing. True, he wouldn't have been killed. He is Titan Speedy, after all. A Teen Titan would never die so easily. Killing it without arrows simply would have been challenging.
Only after the redhead is certain that the larkack is dead and that the quills are no longer threat does he come out from behind the cover. He yanks each of his arrows free, deciding whether or not he should try to salvage them. The ice arrows may be salvageable. If more modern provinces will have parts good enough to fix Black Shadow's machine so that they may return home, then there should certainly be parts for repairing his ice arrows. He may even be able to fix the net arrow if he is lucky. As for the regular arrows, they will simply need to be cleaned and sharpened.
Linden, Kish, and the four who had hidden make their way over to Roy slowly, all of them gawking. Ignoring them, Roy picks up a quill. He tries bending it, but it doesn't budge in the slightest. Upon touching the end of it to his fingertip, a pained cry escapes the archer's lips.
"Do the people of Whisper Valley use these quills for anything? If not, I might take some of them. They could make a good replacement for my arrows if they get lost or can't be fixed."
"Are you seriously asking about quills?!" Kish exclaims. "You just killed a larkack like it was nothing! You didn't even flinch when you brought it down, and now you're looting it for parts!"
He raises a brow. "Kish, my friend, I have been strapped to bombs, I've fought Black Shadow's shadow creatures, I was brainwashed and almost dissected by Brother Blood, and there was another time where I was flash frozen by a guy who wanted to destroy all young superheroes. Not to mention getting sucked through a rift and ending up stranded on a strange planet. If you think killing one wild animal is enough to scare me, then you know nothing about me."
Linden smirks. "I suppose we don't. That was very impressive, Roy. Well done."
Apparently checking the traps is a task that has been completed. Without warning, a sound more terrifying than the larkack's roar is heard.
"For the love of the Fates, men! Is the human of our group the only one who bothered fighting the larkack? Don't tell me that I honestly saw the rest of you hiding in the bushes and standing in place frozen! This is pathetic! The men of Whisper Valley never hide from danger!"
Turning, Raezik is seen loitering at the edge of the foliage with ten other men flanking him. Not a single one of them appears happy. Especially the Village Head, who has tossed the corpse of the animal he was holding to the ground with rage.
Kish gulps visibly. "I'm sorry, Zaetaka, but we were caught off guard. This larkack was a male, whereas the ones we've faced before have been female. Males are notably larger and more aggressive. Then there are also the antlers, which are intimating all on their own–"
"Quiet, Kish! I won't have any of your excuses! The same goes for the rest of you. This is pathetic." The longest, most exasperated, sigh the redhead has ever heard ensues. "Linden, gather the rest of our group and tell them to return to the campsite. The beast that Roy killed will be more than sufficient to meet the needs of Whisper Valley during the frost, in addition to the needs of any visitors."
Linden leaves without argument. Meanwhile, everyone else descends on the fallen beast. This is likely in order to skin, gut, clean, and dissect the animal so that it is more portable. Roy had only been trying to keep himself and the others safe. Providing food was not his goal, neither was shaming Kish, Linden, and the others. Yet, he can't help feeling a tad proud. Even after the living nightmare that fighting Black Shadow and getting sucked through a rift back in time to a soon-to-be-destroyed planet has become, Roy can still act like Speedy in dangerous situations.
Raezik places a firm hand on Roy's shoulder. Despite how enraged he'd been mere seconds earlier, the giant of man is now adorned by a beaming grin. "You are an amazing combatant, Roy! I see why Lady Fire Phoenix chose you as her lover. You are strong and worthy of a Noble Lady. If you and Lady Fire Phoenix choose to marry and start a life in Whisper Valley, I would more than approve."
For once, the redhead finds himself completely and utterly speechless. After the poor welcome they'd received in Murmur Creek, being accepted this warmly in Whisper Valley was highly unexpected. Who thought that repairing a hut and killing a wild animal was actually impressive? Certainly not Roy!
Only a millisecond later, the Village Head returns to shouting. "Salvage the quills and salvage the antlers! Those are tradable goods! The merchants from the tenth province are bound to pass through soon, and we need every tradable good we can get! And please work quickly. If we hurry, we should be able to make it back to the village by nightfall."
Every piece of meat was either laying in salt, soaking in brine, or smoked and packaged by sunset last night thanks to the help of the men. This must be why Tenna did not have her go to the smokehouse this morning. With all forms of preparation for the frost completed, there is no further work to be done. For this, Damiana is immensely grateful. Even better is that, rather than being trapped in the confines of the cabin with the bitter mountaineer, the girl gets to collect firewood with Roy. Today is becoming a very good day.
"…Yes, it was cold – very cold – but I was fine. I just added extra layers and had some warm stew."
"Are you sure? When you finally made it back last night, your eyebrows were frozen! I had to talk Tenna into having you join me in the smokehouse!"
Although he is bent over and picking up twigs from the ground, the crimson painting his cheeks is visible. "I wasn't that cold. I was just a little chilly. I would've been fine."
Damiana rolls her eyes. Why must men be so stubborn? This is something that would never be confessed aloud, but Roy had her worried sick. The girl was so frightened that he would freeze to death that she couldn't sleep at all. When he returned yesterday looking like Frosty the Snowman, it was as if her fears had been realized. Thankfully, all of his toes and fingers are still intact, meaning that he didn't catch frostbite.
Squatting down to collect an armload of branches, the Noble Lady mulls over her words. Eventually she says, "I'm not insulting you. I'm just concerned for your wellbeing. That's what friends are for. Regardless, I'm just happy that you made it back in one piece."
Roy looks over at her and smiles. "I am too, but it honestly wasn't the cold that was the most threatening. The giant, blue, cow with the porcupine quills damn near killed me! It's a good thing I save my arrows for emergency situations."
It takes a recollection of books read during girlhood as well as memories of a large antler treasured by Adriel and Saeran. Realizing the animal that is being spoken of, Damiana gasps. "Are you talking about a larkack?! Those things are unpredictable, wild, beasts! You actually faced one?!"
"I did, and I faced it alone. Kish and Linden are nice, but they can't fight, so I killed it myself."
The girl gawps in awe. "I must admit, that's very impressive. Adriel broke his arm when he and Saeran faced one."
"Exactly. Which means that I fought a wild beast during the Dabnodian winter and came out fine. Don't worry so much. I'm a big boy."
Damiana and Roy reach for the same branch, causing them to touch hands. For some reason, this makes them both stand straight up and step backwards. Damiana cannot explain it, but talking to Roy, looking at Roy, and being near him feels completely different. Even the simple act of having a conversation in English rather than Dabnodian feels…private. Based on the redhead's furrowed eyebrows and intense gaze, his thoughts must be similar.
Clearing her throat, she says at last, "I think we have enough firewood. We should probably go back."
"Good idea."
The walk back is quiet. This is alright, of course. It makes sense that she and Roy would both need time to adjust to the bizarre changes in their interactions. The firewood is placed in a trough in the far-left corner of Tenna's barn. Ula, who'd previously been pruning her snow-white feathers, caws loudly at them. Damiana takes a minute to ruffle the feathers on the ice phoenix's chest. Aside from Tenna taking time to feed and water her each morning, Ula hasn't been given much attention. Happy at the recognition, Ula smooths Damiana's curled tresses with her beak.
What causes the Noble Lady to break away from the glorious creature is none other than Roy, who'd gone ahead of her into the cabin. When he returns to the barn, the archer is scratching at his ginger locks in bafflement. "Tenna and Caen aren't here. Should we go look for them?"
Damiana leans against the phoenix's side while raising dainty fingers to her chin in thought. "Actually, I don't think looking for them is necessary. Tenna told us that there isn't any work to do today. If you want, we can find something else to do. Maybe we can take Ula out for a fly."
"You want me to get on the back of that thing a second time? No thank you! I'm allergic to dying!"
The girl sighs internally. That's right! Roy loathes Ula. Their last flight was only five days ago on the night of their stay in Murmur Creek. How she'd forgotten his fright this quickly, she doesn't know, but she remembers him calling Ula a giant bird of terror. Taking the phoenix out for a fly being completely out of the question, Damiana wracks her brain for another way to pass the time. That, however, is when Roy suggests it.
"Do you want to learn how to use my bow? You seemed pretty interested when we were talking about my arrows on our way into Murmur Creek."
It takes a moment, but eventually Damiana recalls the conversation that is being referred to. He'd told her about each of his trick arrows and how they work, initially a conversation that began with her acting as a translator between him and Caen. While translating, she became interested at the amount of work that is put into creating and finetuning his arrows. She'd even learned that many of the arrows Roy currently uses do not belong to Green Arrow but are of his own invention. It is convenient that the redhead had not yet known how to speak Dabnodian, otherwise she may have never learned how interesting his weapon of choice is. Intrigue reigniting, the girl grins.
"Sure! That sounds like fun! As long as I'm not wasting your arrows."
"It's ok. We'll just use regular arrows. Those can be reused."
It is here that Damiana nods and wordlessly follows Roy out of the barn and behind Tenna's cabin. Behind Tenna's cabin is a small grassy patch that stretches six feet prior to meeting the boundary of the forest. Roy takes a small handful of berries from a bush at the edge of the forest boundary and smashes them against the pale bark of a large tree, creating a wide, green, smudge. When he returns to her side, it is with his bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.
"Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
He gently places the bow in her left hand and the arrow in the other. Truth be told, Damiana has always wanted to learn how to shoot his bow and arrow. The reason she never asked on Earth was because of their mission with Black Shadow. Not to mention, had she asked in the past, there was the fear that Roy would get flirty and tease her. As for recently, they have been stranded on another planet, trying their best to survive and have been horrified that they won't find a way home. This being said, it makes sense that Damiana never asked about learning to shoot his bow and arrow. However, she is immensely happy that he asked her.
"You need to turn toward me. You should be perpendicular to the target instead of facing it."
Damiana does as instructed. When told to square her stance and have her feet a shoulder-width apart, she follows these instructions as well. It is only when she attempts using the bow and arrow that Dabnodian girl needs additional assistance.
"Since you're a righty, you need to keep the bow in your left hand. And you're holding it too tight. Your knuckles should be at a forty-five-degree angle to the bow grip."
"You mean like this?"
Despite attempting to make the necessary adjustments, it still must not look right. The archer steps behind Damiana and covers her hands with his, thus, ensuring proper placement. Her back is tight against his chest, causing the girl to lose her grip on the bow entirely. Thankfully, Roy helps clasp her hand around it so that he doesn't notice.
"There. Like that. Now you need to place your arrow center. Only your ring, middle, and pointer finger should be on the bowstring." Damiana follows these instructions, but a small mistake is still made. "You're doing good! The arrow should be between your pointer and middle finger exactly like you're doing. But the string should be in the crook of your first knuckle, not your middle knuckle."
He helps her raise the bow and then releases her hands, the archer's grasp falling to the girl's upper back. "Keep it at shoulder height exactly like that. Now that you're drawing it back, don't use your arm muscles. Use your back muscles. You should be squeezing your shoulder blades together. Now draw it back a little bit farther… A little more… There you go! Perfect! Now keep your bow arm steady and aim at the green smudge I put on that tree."
Roy's hands shift once more, his left trailing down to her waist and his right grasping her hip. His thumb trails close to her buttock but not uncomfortably so. Admittedly, it makes concentrating a tad difficult, yet her aim isn't terribly bad. She misses the green smudge, but only by a couple of inches. It's far better than she'd anticipated!
"Great! You almost got it! But if you missed, it's because all you did was let go of the string. You need to keep drawing it back after releasing the arrow, otherwise it won't go in the right direction."
He helps her once more in the exact same manner. When it is time for her to shoot, his right hand does not rest on her hip, but on the upper portion of her outer thigh. Somehow this unnerves her more than placing it on her hip. Damiana should yell at him, and in fact, she already has the dialogue planned out inside of her head. "I'm not sure if you noticed, Mr. Pimp, but you're getting way too close to my rear! Move that hand back to my waist before I burn it off!". Yet, Damiana doesn't say any of this. Instead, she shoots not only one, but ten, more arrows. His touch feels like electricity jolting through her, which isn't entirely unpleasant. With each shot, she gets closer to the green smudge, yet doesn't quite hit it. With the final two shots, the arrow misses by a scant few centimeters.
"Dang it! This stupid arrow won't hit the stupid smudge! Why do I keep missing? Roy, your Fate-damned bow doesn't like me!"
The archer chuckles. "There's that feisty girl I met at Lola's Café! I was starting to wonder where she went!"
Damiana rolls her eyes playfully. "She's still here. I'm not feisty all the time, you know."
They are not out of regular arrows; not even close. Yet, they still feel the need to collect them. Mostly, this is because Damiana's arm is growing tired. The girl is able to retrieve most of them, picking some up off the ground and pulling others free from the tree's rough bark. One, however, is lodged at an angle that is slightly above her head, and it is lodged in deep. Damiana tugs vigorously, but it stays tightly in place. Eventually Roy comes up behind her. He rests his hand against the tree with fingers tightly clenching the base of the arrow, hovering so closely that there is only a single, scant, centimeter separating them. Intense body heat is felt. The subtle buzz of electricity is great enough so that her hands fall away from the arrow that she had been trying to grasp. When Roy chuckles, the warmth of his breath tickles the skin of her neck.
"If you need help, all you have to do is ask."
Against her better judgment, Damiana turns around. "Maybe I don't need help. Maybe I can get the arrow out of the tree myself. I'm a big girl."
"You've been trying for the past five minutes, and it hasn't come loose. You need help."
Damiana pouts. Little does she know that her lower lip appears torturously bewitching. "I can get it out myself. Watch me." She turns around, grabs the arrow's shaft with both hands, and tugs. Also unknown to her is how miniscule strands of rose red hair tickle the archer's cheeks. For two straight minutes she pulls, her hands sliding down the shaft rather than causing the arrow to come free. "Sweet Fates! Why won't it come out? Dang it!"
Chuckling yet again, Roy reaches up and grabs the arrow. Damiana turns around to scowl at him only to find that his chest is nearly touching hers. A single, hard, pull is all it takes for him to get it free. Smirking playfully, he leans in closer.
"Again, if you need help, all you have to do is ask. You're a good shot, by the way. You just need practice, and you need more upper body strength."
Damiana gives him the raspberry, partially out of irritation, and partially to tease him back. "Of course you would say that. You work out two hours each day! You have more upper body strength than most teen guys, let alone a teen girl! And if my aim wasn't better, it's your fault for touching me so much! Constantly having you touch me is too distracting!"
Emerald eyes dance teasingly, and his smirk grows. "Distracting must not be a bad thing. I didn't hear you ask me to stop."
Damiana isn't sure how to respond. She could have asked him to stop. In fact, she knew that she should have. Right now, in fact, she should ask Roy to take a few steps back. Yet, the Dabnodian girl says nothing. If she blames anything for this, it is language transference along with the past nine days that they have been on planet Dabnod. Being in close proximity to him has simply become normal, if not pleasant. She could kick herself for admitting this, but their make out session has not left her innermost thoughts. In fact, the girl has found herself fantasizing while preparing meals, while in the smokehouse, and while falling asleep at night about an opportunity to kiss Roy again. These thoughts leave her stomach in tight, anxious, knots, but also with the feeling of pleasant jitters. This is the same sensation that she feels now as the archer continues to lean over her.
It is tempting to pull Roy closer so that their fronts are fully touching, and then to pull him into a long, deep, kiss. Yet, she doesn't. Fear is the primary reason for Damiana's scant level of restraint. Fear that Roy will think that she is a slut, and fear that he will push her to go too far. He said during language transference that he wouldn't push her too far. Would those same rules still apply in a new situation? Hopefully, they would, yet there is no way to tell for sure.
Finally, Damiana readies a response. "Well, if I didn't push you away, it's because –"
"Lady Fire Phoenix! Roy! Where are you?! Zaesa needs you!"
Caen's high-pitched voice shatters this moment like a sonic wave shatters glass. Roy groans in palpable frustration and Damiana sighs in discontentment. It doesn't take long for the small boy to locate them.
"Ah! There you are! Why are you back here all by yourselves?"
The two adolescents look at Caen, at each other, and then back at Caen. A second later the archer stands up straight and backs away from the girl by several feet. The Noble Lady does the same, albeit, while coughing uncomfortably.
"Roy was just showing me how to use his bow and arrow. I was curious and wanted to learn."
The child looks skeptical before shrugging dismissively. "Oh ok. Anyway, Zaesa needs you both. She wanted me to bring you to the village center. Are you coming or not?"
Spending the day with Damiana was truly the only thing Roy desired. If Tenna and Caen ceased to return for the entire day, it wouldn't have bothered the redhead in the slightest. He and Damiana could have practiced more with his bow and arrow, they could have collected more firewood, they could have sat by the fire eating roasted qwernal, they could have gone fishing by the river or collected more berries… Really, they could have done anything, and Roy would have been happy.
Although he gets along well with the Dabnodian men, he prefers the company of Damiana. Not only is she the only person who can speak English, but he has grown accustom to her personality. Sometimes the Dabnodian girl is fun loving and sometimes she's feisty. For lack of more sophisticated phrasing, Damiana is sweet and sour, and Roy enjoys both flavors. Recently, it seems that the girl has added a new flavor to the menu – spicy. She hasn't been pulling away from his touch recently. In fact, she even seems to be enjoying it.
When his hand landed on her hip earlier, it was initially accidental, seeing as he was trying to help and hadn't noticed where he'd been touching. Damiana, however, did not protest, so the redhead kept his hand there. She didn't protest when he touched her outer thigh, either, or when he got unreasonably close while collecting arrows. When she'd turned to face him while they were leaning against the tree only a few minutes earlier, Roy is nearly certain that there had been desire gleaming in Damiana's eyes. If it truly had been desire, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. Would kissing her be the right move, or should he have pulled away from her? Even if kissing her would have been wrong, could Roy have stopped himself? Admittedly, the answer to that is likely no. When she looks at him like that, with a look of pure and absolute need, not giving into her would likely be impossible.
Unfortunately, Roy didn't get to learn how that situation would have played out. Caen showed up and is now dragging them both to the village center. Whatever Tenna wants, it can't possibly be good. Maybe he and Damiana are getting in trouble for skipping out on work, or maybe it's insulting that he managed to kill a larkack single-handedly and now she wants to shout at him. Thankfully Damiana appears equally concerned, so she must be just as in the dark as he is.
"It's okay, Mister Roy. You aren't in trouble with Zaesa or Mister Raezik. Everyone just needed to keep you away for the day so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. Everything is ready now, though, so they told me to come get you and Lady Fire Phoenix."
A puzzled frown is his response. "Surprise? What surprise?"
The trio comes to the crest of a hill, which marks the end of a long, winding, dirt, trail leading through the entirety of Whisper Valley. At the bottom of that hill is the village center, which is marked by a massive fire pit, rows of benches that surround an area meant for feasting and dancing, and a village gathering hall crafted from the pink-gray stones which seem like a common building material on this planet. Roy's first assumption is that everyone will be in the gathering hall where a final meeting prior to the frost is being held. Astonishingly, this is not the case at all. Upon reaching the top of the hill, every person in Whisper Valley is seen surrounding the roaring inferno that is the fire pit. Roasting on a pike above the shimmering, golden, flames is the severed head of the larkack. Cooking directly below it on a metal rack are what appear to be the beast's tongue, heart, liver, kidneys, and other internal organs. It looks positively gruesome at a first glance. Although, the smell is actually rather appetizing.
Feeling more baffled than he has felt in ages, Roy turns to Caen to inquire about what is happening. However, rowdy, boisterous, cheers break out the instant he is spotted, meaning that the situation will likely explain itself. Raezik's voice raises far above the exuberant shouts.
"The guest of honor has arrived! Caen, guide Roy and his woman to their seats at the table."
Without warning, the child grabs the sleeve of Roy's tunic in one hand and the front of Damiana's dress in the other. His gleaming smile and golden features reveal that having a seat at the table is a good thing if the enthusiastic cheering did not.
"Caen, can you tell us what's going on?"
"Can't you tell, Lady Fire Phoenix? Today is Roy's crossover ceremony!"
This explanation results in Damiana's tresses turning lime green. "What in Fates' names are you talking about? A crossover ceremony is only performed during a child's twelfth birthday!"
The child doesn't explain farther. He and Damiana have already been led to the far side of the firepit where a lengthy table has been set. In the center is an ornamental chair containing ornate carvings and a comfortable cushion stuffed with feathers. Caen pulls out the chair and motions for Roy to sit. A few seconds afterward Tenna appears. The mountaineer pulls out a chair that is far less decorative, though it still has a cushion, and motions for Damiana to sit as well. Once they are seated, a new round of cheering breaks out along with thunderous applause.
"Today, we celebrate a joyous occasion! Our human friend, Roy, has crossed over! A few short days ago he did not have a family name and he was a stranger to us. But today, he is known to us as a friend! Whisper Valley's most capable men were taken by Her Majesty Queen Guayusa's Royal Knights, and much of our village's provisions were seized in addition. With the frost quickly approaching, it was uncertain if we would be able to find enough food to comfortably sustain us. With the strongest of us gone, it was uncertain if we would remain safe during hunts, or if our yertkitz would be repaired in time to keep out the icy chill. Without Roy, our yertkitz would not yet be finished, we would not have the plentiful amount of meat that we currently have in our root cellar, and our youngest men may have been killed by the dreaded larkack! Our friend, Roy of Earth, has proven himself to be as courageous and as capable as any man of Dabnodian blood. Under my authority as the Head of Whisper Valley, and with these good men and women as my witnesses, it has been decided that it is time for Roy to cross over!"
He hasn't the slightest clue what Raezik's speech is supposed to mean. All that the archer knows is that this moment feels terribly important. When Caen pulls out Roy's chair, suggesting that it is time for him to stand, it makes it all the more clear that something important is about to happen.
"Roy of Earth, come stand next to me beside the fire so that all of Whisper Valley can be witnesses of this momentous occasion."
The archer is about to ask why, but all it takes is seeing Damiana's encouraging smile for the words exiting his mouth to change. "Y-yes, sir!"
Caen guides Roy through the crowd until he is standing at the center between Raezik and the dancing flames. He is watching as women cut portions of the larkack's heart and liver into more reasonable pieces before putting them on platters and carrying them to the table. He also watches as women pour amber-colored liquid from metal pitchers into copper-colored goblets. This is out of curiosity more than anything, seeing as he isn't sure what could be important enough to warrant a feast. Eventually Raezik continues, forcing Roy to look at the man rather than at his surroundings. The village leader appears to be holding a belt.
"Roy, do you accept the honor that is about to be bestowed upon you?"
He gulps, not sure what he should say considering how he is uncertain of what is happening. Nevertheless, an answer is given. "Y-yes! I do!"
Raezik holds the belt up for all to see. To Roy's surprise, it is made entirely of quills, which are connected with metal latches. At the center is a gleaming, silver, buckle that has been delicately carved. The buckle bears the rough image of a bow and arrow. After presenting the belt, Raezik swiftly places it around Roy's waist and latches it with an echoing click.
"Citizens of Whisper Valley, I present Roy, the founding member of the Flying Arrow clan. Wherever he goes, may he stand beside each and every Dabnodian man as an equal."
A/N: I thought that this would be a good place to end the chapter. What did everyone think of Roy getting his own clan symbol? What about the romantic tension between Roy and Damiana? Hopefully it isn't too much. I may try to lighten up on it in future chapters, but considering the intense make out session they had in chapter forty, some tension made sense. If I have enough room with everything else I'm planning on adding in for Part IV, I may also add in a scene where Roy teaches Caen self-defense. This scene isn't guaranteed, of course, as I have many other plot points to focus on.
Next chapter will be the frost! The event that we have all been waiting for! Thank you all for your patience, and I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!
Forever and Always,
~OCQ