The Hunt

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Shade rode on my back, his arms wrapped loosely around my neck, as I marched steadily back towards the hut.

"Father," he piped up along the way, "Why are we going back home? I thought we needed to help people."

"Echo just reminded me of something very important," I explained, "We don't always have to rely on other people for the things that we need. If I can find an axe, I can get us our own firewood. I know how to hunt, too. So I know I can find some food for us."

Shade squeezed me excitedly, "Can I help?"

My brow furrowed as I thought it over. A sharp axe, heavy logs, and a frail child's arms didn't seem like a good combination. Neither did letting that child follow me around in the woods for hours and asking a million questions while I tried to track down prey.

At first, I thought about saying no to him. I would probably be able to gather up firewood and catch us something to eat a lot faster if I were allowed to just handle it on my own.

Then I thought about Grandpa.

Once upon a time, a little David Willoughby had also been eager to help his Grandpa collect wood for the woodstove and hunt caribou with him. He couldn't wield an axe or shoot a rifle, and he was still too young to lift anything heavy or wait around in cold and snow for prey.

But he could still do something .

"I'll let you help me with the firewood," I finally said, "But you'll have to stay home when it's time for me to go out and hunt."

I felt Shade slump against me, likely disappointed that today wasn't going to be the kind of father-son outing he had been hoping for. After a few minutes, though, he recovered, excited that he was at least being included in helping me gather wood.

Shade slid down from my shoulders as we approached the hut.

"What type of wood do we need?" he asked, looking up at me.

I thought about it for a moment.

"Oak or ash would probably work best," I replied as I began searching for an axe, "If we can find a decent hickory or maple tree, that'll be even better because it'll add some nice flavors to our meat and make the hut smell nice."

Shade glanced around, eying all of the trees that stood near the hut.

"What about that one?" he asked, pointing at one.

I followed his finger.

"No, that's spruce," I explained, "It ignites fast, but it burns too quickly, and it doesn't burn clean, either."

Shade frowned before pointing at another, "What about that one?"

I paused. He had pointed at an aspen.

"No, not that one, either," I replied, "It's best if we source our wood from a tree that's already been felled. That way it's less likely to be green and full of moisture."

Shade began looking around some more as I continued hunting for the axe. I had remembered seeing one as I was cleaning, looking like it had been lightly used before being tucked away into a long-forgotten corner of the hut.

I managed to locate it and tested its edge. It was still fairly sharp with very little rust. I guessed that Thorn hadn't gotten much use out of it before he gave up and had probably started stealing bundles of wood from others. Or it could have been Raven's axe, and it was actually frequently used and well-maintained. There was no way that I could know for certain.

Shade ran up to me as I exited the doorway, his face beaming with excitement.

"Found one!" he announced, looking up at me.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, raising a brow, "Show me."

Shade jumped up and hurried ahead of me into the trees. He stopped and pointed to a fallen oak tree that lay a few meters ahead of us.

"What about that one, Father?" he asked, "Can we use that one?"

I walked up and inspected it. The tree appeared to have been felled a while ago. The wood was dry, but not moldy or rotted, and it appeared that someone had already been using it as a source of wood.

I looked around, making sure that Shade hadn't stumbled upon a wood source that belonged to any of our neighbors. The only tracks that led up to it came from the direction of our hut.

"Good job," I said, patting him on the shoulder, "I... had completely forgotten about this tree. This will work for us."

Shade smiled, "That's the tree Mother uses."

The smile that had been on my face fell slightly.

Raven...

"Well, your mother does have a good eye," I stated, trying to maintain my cover, "I'll have to thank her once she gets back."

I instructed Shade to stand a good distance back as I readied my axe, and told him not to move to pick up any of the pieces of wood until they had settled completely on the ground. Shade nodded at me with the same seriousness he had shown towards all of my instructions, standing at attention and balling his fists at his sides like he was taking orders from a drill instructor.

The two of us fell into a steady rhythm as I began hacking away at the tree. I'd collect some of the larger pieces that were dense and heavy while passing the smaller pieces and branches to Shade. Every three or four pieces, Shade would trot back to the hut to drop off his load before circling back over to me and returning for more.

The first time I went back with him, I showed him where to place the firewood and how to stack it so the pile would remain sturdy. The smaller pieces he brought back helped a lot with that, filling in the gaps and leveling the whole thing out so pieces were less likely to roll off.

At one point while I was splitting off another section of the trunk, Shade reached for a larger piece that was on the ground.

I turned to him, "I'll get that one."

"I can do it!" Shade whined.

I watched as he bent down and lifted the piece with all his might. The piece in question took up nearly his whole chest, weighing his arms down like a stone.

He only managed to carry it for a few steps before it fell out of his hands and back onto the frozen ground.

He stopped and stared at it before slowly turning to look back up to me.

I shot him a sympathetic smile.

I remembered doing the same thing when I was his age, desperately trying to prove to Grandpa that I could carry the heavy things like he could, even though I couldn't.

"Here," I said, passing Shade another smaller piece of wood, "Just stick with these for now."

Shade frowned at it as it rested easily in his arms.

"I just wanted to help..." he muttered.

"You are helping," I pointed out, "We need pieces like those just as much as we need the big ones."

Shade's smile returned as I picked up the log he had dropped and followed him back to the hut.

By the time we got our pieces situated on top of the pile, the stack took up the entire stretch of wall it occupied and stood about as tall as Shade.

"That should last us for a while," I said, dusting the splinters off of my hands.

Shade looked at it and smiled, "We did it!"

My heart leaped. There it was again.

I rested a hand on top of his head, and nearly melted as he leaned into it.

"Yeah," I said, "We sure did."

Just then, a slender figure appeared in the doorway.

Echo stepped in, looking thoroughly annoyed before she lifted her eyes and noticed us. A playful smirk appeared on her face.

"Well, aren't you two cute?" she teased before nodding towards the woodpile, "Looks like you've been busy."

Shade's face broke into a wide grin as he ran up to her and jumped into her arms.

"Father and I gathered firewood!" he announced, "He got the big pieces, and I got the little ones."

"Really?" Echo gasped, scanning the woodpile, "I see a lot of little pieces..."

Her eyes shifted over to me.

I shrugged, "He wanted to help, so I let him help."

Shade slipped himself free from Echo's grasp and ran back over to me.

"Can we gather more tomorrow?" he asked.

"Maybe," I replied, hoisting him up, "If it needs it."

Echo stared at us silently before she regarded me with a smile and a nod.

"Can I speak with you for a moment, Thorn?" she suddenly asked, "Alone."

My expression fell slightly as I looked over at Shade, "Can you give us a moment?"

Shade frowned slightly as he turned his head to look at Echo.

"Just more boring grown-up business," she told him, "I won't keep him away from you for long."

Shade begrudgingly nodded before jumping down and running off with Bunny.

Echo and I stepped outside of the hut, walking a good ways out onto the path in front of it to ensure we wouldn't be overheard.

"I just finished speaking with Storm..." Echo began, crossing her arms.

"And?" I asked, leaning forward with interest, "What did he say?"

"In as many words as possible, he told me I should just mind my own business. Said that whatever was going on was a personal matter that should only be discussed between the two of you in private."

I let out a sigh as we turned back and started towards the hut again.

"Guess that means I'll have to pay Storm a visit sometime, then," I stated.

" Or you could just talk to me," Echo pointed out.

"Storm says that spirits are involved in this. What do you know about spirits?"

"Not a lot really."

"Well, that's not helpful."

"But it could be..."

"Are you a chatterer?"

"Who? Me ? No! No..." Echo ran ahead of me, cutting off my path, "Tell me, what is Alaska? What other strange names do your people have where you're from? What did your life look like before you arrived here?"

A knot began working its way into my stomach with each one of her questions.

"I don't really want to talk about that right now," I said flatly, "I've got more immediate problems that I need to focus on first."

Echo's mouth closed as she stepped out of my way.

I stopped just before we reached the doorway.

"Say," I spoke up, "Do you mind watching Shade for me while I'm out hunting?"

Echo's eyes widened, " You want me to watch your cub? Here? Inside of your hut? Alone ?"

I shrugged, "Well, I can't take him along with me. And I do sort of owe you for interrupting your guys' fun earlier."

Echo pressed her hands against her cheeks as she gazed up at me in mock surprise.

"I never thought I'd see the day..." She turned away from me to address a crowd of absolutely no one. "Everyone! Let it be known that, on this day, Thorn of the Mountain Forest granted me permission to look after his hut and his cub! Tell the elders! This is truly a historic moment for this tribe, as well as all of therian-kind!"

My cheeks burned as I pressed a hand against my face.

"Maybe I should just ask Flower, instead," I grumbled, "At least she knows how to be quiet."

"No, no, please!" she said quickly, turning herself back around, "You don't need to pester Flower about this. I'm already here! Why make more work for yourself than is necessary?"

I let out another sigh, shaking my head.

I paused, tossing a glance over my shoulder as anxiety began pricking at my nerves.

"Just make sure Shade stays near the hut," I told her.

Echo nodded, "I will."

"And make sure the fire doesn't get too low."

"I won't."

"And if he tells you he's 'a little hungry', he's more than a little hungry. There might be-"

I paused. I was going to say there might be food left over from what Bone brought, but then I remembered our breakfast from this morning.

"You know, actually, scratch that."

Echo shot me a smirk as she folded her arms over her chest, "Anything else you think I should know?"

I scratched at the back of my head before another concern entered my mind.

"Don't let him play too close to the fire."

Echo rolled her eyes, "Yes, Day-Day. I know not to let a child climb into the fire."

"If he goes outside, make sure he's dressed in furs that are warm enough."

Echo's expression gradually grew more exasperated as I kept talking.

"And don't let him wander off with anybody without seeking permission from you first. If Flower comes looking for him, that's fine."

"How generous of you..."

"He might get tired before I get back. If he falls asleep, just let him sleep."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? Wake him back up?"

"And don't-"

" Thorn !" Echo pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, "You realize I've looked after children before, right?"

I stared at her briefly for a moment before giving her a quick nod.

"Several of them," she added, "Including Shade."

I threw up my hands, "Okay, I get it."

"I don't think you do..."

I frowned at her.

Echo grinned at me, "Go hunt, Day-Day. I've got this."

Just then, Shade poked his head out from behind the hide in the doorway.

"Are you going hunting now?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Yes, I am," I responded.

"Can I come?" he asked again, "I want you to show me so I know how to hunt, too."

I smiled as I crouched down beside him, "I know, and I promise I'll teach you how to hunt someday. But for now, I need you to stay here with Echo. I'll try not to be gone too long."

Shade glanced up at Echo. A flash of excitement crossed his face briefly before he turned back to look at me.

He gave me a serious look, "Don't miss."

I nodded, "I won't."

"And don't get eaten."

I let out a laugh, "I'll try not to."

Shade rushed out and gave me a quick hug before turning back to go inside.

Echo glided past me, tossing me one last glance over her shoulder before vanishing into my hut behind him.

A few seconds later, the hut was filled with the sound of her theatrics and Shade's joyous laughter.

I chuckled as I straightened myself back out and turned to head into the woods. The sun hung high in the sky now, and I was sure that if I was able to tap into all of the knowledge Grandpa had handed down to me on our various hunting trips together, along with a little bit of luck, I'd have dinner roasting over the fire before the sun went down behind the mountains.

Quickly, though, I discovered that performing a familiar task didn't mean that it was going to be that easy.

Back home, all of the places I had hunted in were areas I was familiar with. I knew all of the locations that had reliable access to prey, as well as which areas prey tended to avoid. My family had rifles and vehicles and access to equipment that made hauling prey back to the homestead relatively easy.

Here, I had none of those things. The terrain was unfamiliar, making it difficult to know what kind of prey could be found on this mountain. Not to mention there were other tribes, and I had no idea where the borders of the Tribe of the Mountain Forest ended and those of the others began. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally stir up trouble.

Then there was the matter of the body that I was currently inhabiting, a body with instincts and senses that I still didn't fully understand and had yet to master.

And then there was the point Rain had been drilling into me this whole time. I was still trying to physically recover from the events of the past few days, and my constant working, all-night nesting habits, and only having the occasional meal hadn't exactly helped me out with that.

And what's more, I didn't even have a weapon that I could use. No gun, no spear, no bow and arrow or crossbow, not even a club. All I had was a hunting knife and my own ambition.

Taking a deep breath, I started to think about what it was that I needed to do. What did Thorn do? Bone had said that he had known how to hunt, and this body clearly reflected that based on muscle mass alone.

I thought back to when I had gone to the training grounds with Rain. I thought about my senses. All of them had been dialed up to eleven from what they had been when I was an ordinary human. I could hear and smell better than I'd ever been able to before. That alone was going to be useful here.

I closed my eyes, focusing my hearing to listen to the forest that surrounded me. The branches of several trees creaked and groaned like doors in an old house. The brush clicked and tapped with the ice that still clung to it in some places. Far ahead of me, a clump of snow fell from a spruce tree and hit the ground. It should have been barely audible, but my ears had picked it up like I had been standing directly in front of it.

I took a long, deep breath in through my nose, pushing past the sting of the cold winter air to see what I could pick up. An aromatically earthy scent pushed its way through.

Animal. Bird. Grouse. Close...

I followed it, keeping my footsteps light as I scanned the foliage for the bird. My eyes caught sight of it sitting beneath a bush, one dark brown eye already focused on me.

I stopped mid-step, and my body instinctively dropped into a crouch. I pressed my palms into the snow, and began creeping forward.

The grouse burst out of the brush, and my body reacted half a second too late, the muscles in my legs tensing at the sudden movement before launching me forward. The tips of my fingers brushed against a few of its long tail feathers before it lifted itself up and out of my reach.

I let out a frustrated huff. Grandpa probably would have given me hell for freezing like that...

Actually... He probably wouldn't know what to make of that. Or me, for that matter.

I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers as my mind mulled over what exactly I had just done.

I had crouched. I had gotten myself onto all fours. I had stalked . People's bodies weren't supposed to move like that, and yet it had come so naturally.

I dried my hands and pressed forward, tossing a glance in the direction the grouse had flown off in. It had gotten lucky today... But now I knew we had grouse here.

A little while later, my nose picked up on a more pungent scent. Stronger and more musky.

Animal. Deer. Buck. Big...

I considered it for a moment. A buck would definitely keep me and Shade fed for a few days, providing us with meat for all manner of fresh steaks, stews, and jerky. I wasn't thrilled at the idea of cleaning a whole deer this late in the day, or hauling one all the way back to the hut, for that matter, but this wasn't about what I wanted. It was about what we needed, and what Shade and I needed was food.

I slowed my movements again, and scanned the trees.

I found the buck chewing away at a maple sapling. I noted how it didn't have its antlers, looking more like a large doe than a buck. I found that interesting. Deer typically dropped their antlers in late winter. That meant that, in this world, it was currently somewhere between January and March. The same as it had been in Alaska.

I looked up just as the buck had turned its head in my direction.

I froze and did my best to keep myself perfectly still. My eyes sized him up. He was big, likely ten to twelve points. But with no antlers, something in my head told me to go for it.

Once again, I dropped into a crouch and pressed my hands into the snow. The buck stopped chewing on the sapling and craned its neck slightly to get a better look over the brush. It froze, stomped one of its hooves, and let out a snort.

I sprang forward, tearing across the forest floor to reach him.

For a minute, I thought I was actually going to catch it and bring it down. I had pushed off before I was close enough to properly ambush it, but I had managed to keep pace and had even gained a little bit of ground.

Eventually though, the buck began putting distance between us. At first it was by a few inches. Then it was a foot. Then a meter. And then it was bounding away deeper into the trees as I collapsed onto my belly into the snow.

I groaned irritably, cursing under my breath as I sat myself back up. Shade and I really could have used that deer...

I looked down at my hands. My palms were burning, and the skin had turned an angry shade of red from the cold. I shoved them underneath my arms and leaned back against a tree as I tried to get my bearings.

"Come on, Thorn..." I huffed, closing my eyes, "You're a hunter. Help me out here."

Sadly, or probably fortunately, I was met with no response.

For a few minutes I just sat there, staring up at the trees. I strongly considered throwing in the towel and heading back to the hut. I was tired, cold, and hungry. Rain would probably give me an earful if he knew I was pushing myself this hard.

But then I thought about Grandpa, and I thought about Shade.

Not once while I was growing up did I recall ever going hungry. No matter what, we always had something . It might have been something small, or something that I didn't particularly like, but we still ate.

Returning back to the hut empty handed wasn't an option. Shade would be so disappointed. Echo would probably give me hell. I couldn't give up now.

I rolled myself back into a crouch, listening and smelling for anything that could pass for a meal. My nose picked up on another musky, earthy odor, and I listened.

Animal. Rodent. Rabbit. Close.

I let out a sigh as I considered it.

After chasing that deer, I wasn't in any kind of mood to try and run down a rabbit, but what other option was there?

I scanned the brush, and eventually found the rabbit sitting near a bush. It was sitting on its hind feet, looking thoroughly preoccupied with cleaning itself.

My eyes narrowed as I crept forward, pressing my palms into the snow once more. I paid close attention to each of my movements. When the rabbit stopped to look, I'd stop. When it reached around to groom at its back, I inched forward. And when it finally put its head down to nibble at something, I pounced.

Fur filled my mouth as I crashed through the brush, and an ear-piercing shriek filled the air as the rabbit writhed and kicked in my jaws.

I bit down. Hard.

There was a loud snap.

The rabbit tensed for only a moment before its body slowly went limp.

After several seconds, my jaw relaxed and the rabbit fell like a rag doll onto the ground.

For a while, I could only sit there and stare at it, trying to wrap my head around what I had just done.

I had killed animals before. Shot them, slit their throats, dressed their carcasses, and handled their blood.

I had never killed one like this before.

Eventually, I picked the rabbit up and rested a hand over it, silently thanking it for its little life in the way that I always did, before standing back up again.

I frowned slightly as I felt the weight of the rabbit dangling in my hand. One little rabbit wasn't going to make a lot of food for two people, but I also knew I didn't have it in me anymore to venture further out and try to find something else. This would have to do for tonight.

I retraced my steps through the snow, and eventually made it back to the hut as the sun was starting to dip behind the highest mountain peak.

I passed through the hide in the doorway, just as Shade was asking Echo a question about a story she'd been telling. Judging by the tiredness that had settled on Echo's face, it had been one of several questions he'd asked her in the time that I was gone.

Shade's face lit up as his eyes moved from me to the rabbit in my hands.

"Father, you're home!" he beamed, "And you got a rabbit!"

"Yes, I did!" I said proudly.

"Now we won't be hungry!"

I shook my head, "Nope, not today."

Not ever, if I could help it.

I turned towards Echo as she rose to her feet and dusted herself off.

"And as you can see," she said, gesturing around the hut, "All is as you left it. Shade is fine, the hut is fine..."

I gave her a nod, "So I can see."

"The fire is still burning, nobody is injured, no suspicious individuals came near the hut..."

"I get it, Echo," I said, letting out a tired breath, "Thank you for looking after him."

Echo raised a brow at me as she shot me a smile. I could tell that she wanted to say something to me, but decided to keep it to herself.

"If you don't mind," I continued, "Would you mind staying a little while longer to look after Shade while I make dinner? It might take a little while, and I don't want him to be bored."

"Of course. No problem."

Echo called over to Shade.

My eyes widened as I saw her body change shape, and she shifted into the form of the grey and white wolf I'd remembered seeing when I first ventured out of the healer's den and went out to explore the village.

She took on a playful stance, and Shade giggled with delight as he shifted into the tiny lynx cub I had encountered when I had first entered this hut.

For several minutes, I could only stand there and watch as Echo and Shade chased each other through the snow, leaving layers of wolf and lynx tracks that circled around the hut. Every now and again, one of them would stop and pounce at the other, letting out a playful growl before they'd take off again.

Oh, yeah... That was something else I had yet to figure out.

I did my best to not let that distract me as I turned my attention back to the rabbit.

I made quick work of cleaning it, removing the pelt and setting it aside to be washed and tanned. In the meantime, I allowed the fire in the firepit to burn low. With how lean rabbit meat could be, I didn't want to cook it directly over an open flame and risk ruining the only meal we had. It was better to let it slow-roast over hot coals.

Once the meat and the coals were ready, I took what was left of the rabbit and stuck it onto a stick. I seasoned it with the very last of the herbs Bone had brought over before positioning it over the embers to cook. For the next hour, I was constantly moving and rotating the rabbit, making sure it cooked evenly.

Echo and Shade must have picked up on the scent of it at one point as they eventually poked their heads into the hut to check on my progress. The two of them settled around the firepit, lying down on either side of me as they watched the meat cook. Every now and again, one of them would lick their chops. I could tell what they were thinking.

It smelled incredible.

At one point, Echo shifted back and sprawled out across the floor of the hut.

"Ugh! You're killing me, Thorn!" she groaned, "How does it smell so good?"

I could only shrug, "Bone brought the herbs. I'm just using them."

Shade shifted out of his animal form as well, eying the stick that the rabbit was on.

"Can I?" he asked timidly.

I smiled gently at him. He must have still been feeling insecure about spilling the broth from our stew the night prior.

"Okay," I said, handing him the stick, "Just make sure you keep turning it. That way the meat cooks evenly."

Shade gave me a serious nod as his little hands worked to keep the rabbit moving. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before his arms got tired. Fortunately, by that point, the meat looked like it was just about done.

As I removed the rabbit from the coals and began peeling away the meat, the lack of food became impossible to ignore. By the time I had filled one bowl, there was nothing left of the rabbit but a few scraps.

Echo noticed as well.

I let out a sigh. The two of us could split it and share the meat equally, but I already knew better. I was hungry, but Shade was even hungrier.

I set the bowl of meat down in front of Shade, and did my best to make my bowl look somewhat full with the scraps.

Shade's eyes looked at his bowl, then he looked at mine, then back at his.

"Do you want more?" he asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head, "I'm not that hungry tonight. Go ahead. Dig in."

Shade hesitated, his eyes moving from me to my bowl to his bowl, then back up to me.

Slowly, he took his bowl into his hand and held it out to me.

I shook my head again, "No, no. That's your share. I've got plenty right here."

I tapped the edge of my bowl.

Shade looked at it again and frowned. He set his bowl back down on the table, picked up one of the thicker pieces, and held it out to me.

"No, Shade," I told him, "What's in your bowl is yours. I'm grown. You're still growing. You need to eat."

"But you need to eat, too."

The way that he said it made my heart ache.

I smiled.

"That piece is way too big for me," I said playfully, "I don't think I'll be able to finish it. Here. I'll take this one..."

I reached over and plucked a smaller piece of meat out of his bowl. Shade seemed satisfied as he watched me pop the piece into my mouth, and he began eating the piece he held in his hand without much fuss.

The rabbit was dry, but still edible. It would have been better if I'd had some butter or some sort of a glaze to lock in the moisture, but I wasn't about to complain.

I turned just in time to see Echo shoot me a smirk before she stood up from her seat beside the firepit. She did the honor of wedging a couple of pieces of wood between the embers before strutting towards the entrance.

"Well, I need to go and prepare my own dinner," she said, "I'll be sure to bring you two something later."

My head lifted slightly, "Oh, you don't have to do that-"

I paused as Echo tossed a glance back at me.

"I know," she stated simply.

She vanished out through the door before I had a chance to argue.

By the time we had finished eating, there was very little left to clean up.

Shade had managed to finish most of what had been in his bowl, and his movements were growing slower with each passing minute. By the time I had set the dishes aside, his head had begun to dip forward every few seconds, only for him to jerk himself awake again.

"You're allowed to go to sleep, you know," I told him.

"Not tired," he mumbled.

His eyes closed.

A few seconds later, his head lolled against the side of the bed.

I smiled, "Sure you're not."

I scooped him up and moved him onto the pelts. Shade barely stirred as I draped one over him, Bunny already wedged securely underneath one arm.

Once I was sure he was settled, I looked down at myself.

Between hauling wood, crawling through the snow, chasing prey, and dispatching a wild rabbit with my own jaws, I had worked up enough of a sweat to make my skin itch beneath my clothes. A trip to the grooming den suddenly sounded like a very good idea.

I made sure the fire had enough wood to keep the fire burning for a while before I quietly slipped out of the hut.

The village had grown much quieter by then. Most of the foot traffic from earlier in the day had disappeared, and most of the paths that snaked between the huts sat empty beneath the fading light.

Fortunately, the grooming den was empty by the time I had arrived.

I stripped myself of my clothes and made quick work of cleaning myself, scrubbing away the sweat, dirt, dried blood, and whatever else had managed to cling onto me throughout the day.

For a few minutes, I just stood there pouring buckets over myself and letting the warm water run over me. It felt almost painfully good against the muscles of my calves and my shoulders, which had been screaming at me ever since I'd returned from my hunt.

Then I remembered Shade was still alone back at the hut. That was enough to get me moving again.

Drying myself off, I pulled my clothes back on, and hurried back across the village.

Everything was exactly as I had left it when I stepped back inside the hut. Shade was still sound asleep in the bed, the fire was still burning...

And just inside of the doorway sat a small sack that hadn't been there before.

I knelt down and inspected it. Inside, there were a few strips of dried meat, some roasted roots, and a small pouch filled with dried berries.

I shook my head, unable to stop myself from cracking a smile.

Echo.

Of course she had decided to wait until I was gone to drop these off.

My stomach let out a slight growl as I considered having some of it, but I stopped myself. Shade had already gotten a proper meal tonight, and I knew my appetite could wait.

At least now the two of us would have breakfast in the morning.

I tied the sack shut and set it aside on the table before making my way over towards the bed.

Every muscle in my body seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as I tucked myself into the furs next to Shade.

I had just started to get comfortable when he stirred and his eyes fluttered open.

"Father?"

"Sorry," I whispered, "Go back to sleep."

Shade blinked a few times before he shifted closer to me.

"I had fun today," he said.

I smiled, "Yeah?"

He nodded, "You let me go into the village with you..."

I returned the nod, "Yes, I did."

"We got wood together..."

"Yup."

"You let me play with Echo..."

"Mhm..."

"And you went hunting..."

I let out a quiet chuckle, "Well, that part was a little less fun."

Shade smiled faintly. For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.

Then his expression changed. Not dramatically, but just enough that I took notice.

"Father?" he piped up, "How come you never did any of those things before?"

My smile faded as Shade's eyes grew heavy again.

"Never did what?" I asked him.

"Do things with me."

My chest tightened.

Shade continued before I could answer, his voice growing soft.

"You never let me go anywhere with you... You never cooked for me... Or let me play..."

His brow furrowed slightly like he was trying to think of something that was already too difficult for his tired mind to wrap around.

"It's different now," he finally muttered.

I swallowed, "Is that bad?"

Shade shook his head, "No... I like it."

Those words hit harder than I expected.

Shade moved closer until his head came to rest against my chest, curling himself against my side as one of his arms came to rest loosely over my ribs.

"I'm glad," I finally said, carefully wrapping an arm around him.

Shade gave a tiny nod, "It was fun."

Within a matter of seconds, his breathing slowed again, leaving me lying there, staring up at the ceiling.

"You never let me go anywhere with you... You never cooked for me... Or let me play..."

I knew he wasn't talking about me. He was talking about Thorn, but it didn't make hearing that any easier.

For Shade, nothing we had done today had been ordinary. Checking a trap. Walking alongside me into the village. Carrying little pieces of firewood. Turning meat over a fire. Being trusted with a job. These were new things to him.

That realization sat heavily in my chest.

I thought back to Grandpa. How many times had he let me follow him around the homestead when I was his age? How many questions had I asked him? How many jobs took him twice as long because I'd wanted to help?

Grandpa could have always told me to stay inside. He could have decided that it would be easier to do everything himself.

Instead, he found something that I could carry. Something that I could hold for him. Something that made me feel useful.

At the time, I thought he'd only been teaching me how to work, but maybe he'd been teaching me something else then, too.

I tightened my arm around Shade slightly.

I still didn't fully know what I was doing. I didn't completely understand what had happened to me, or why I ended up being placed in Thorn's life. I didn't know if this situation would be permanent, or how much longer I'd be here.

But I did know one thing.

Shade deserved to have more days like today, and if Grandpa had taught me anything, it was that the little things sometimes matter more than you realize.

I closed my eyes, and for once, sleep came easily. 153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4E9bjUqlS

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