Hot and bothered in the underground, as always, Kenneth was sweating like a pig, but at least he could sweat. Kolu did not possess that biological advantage, forced to pant loudly while carrying a bucket of water; he at times drank from or stuck his head down into it to even tolerate being down here.

  He hated seeing him forced to do such things, but the thought of him being out of his sight and alone for multiple hours had him thinking all manner of terrible scenarios he couldn’t shake.

  Fortunately, there had been a significant dip in doctors’ appointments lately, of course, except for the twenty-plus who wanted a long, delicate ear massage. Sometimes, it was a nightmare getting them to understand what no meant with them being so stubborn and standoffish, but at least for now, he didn’t have to worry about it.

  If anything, he was happy; it was almost only those who wanted an ear massage who approached him. In his eyes, it meant he’d helped enough people that his services were not needed for the time being.

  Though, that didn’t mean he was off, not precisely.

  No, he was about to go see how one of his orders was coming along after Nokrock had offered to make his crystal shine brighter.

  He hadn’t really gotten a word back on it but figured he might as well check it out.

  On the way, with Split leading, Kenneth took a moment and reached into his back, picturing what he wanted. As always, it appeared in his hand, this time thrashing. ‘Another live Ubbi. Interesting.’

  It was only a small experiment but one of marginal interest. Applying science to magic seemed foolish in hindsight, but then again, all of it did operate on some kind of logic regardless of how illogical it seemed to him.

  Caught up in his thoughts, Split had to prick his shoulder to let him know they were here.

  However, in hindsight, he might not have needed her to guide him since, apparently, Nokrock’s crystal shop had the closest thing to a neon sign in a world without electricity. It was rather large and made from multiple different crystal blocks that had been shaped and inscribed with different colored letters.

  “He knows how to sell himself,” Kenneth remarked as he walked past Split and entered.

  Immediately, the first thing he noticed wasn’t any of the brightly shining crystals on stone shelves all around him, but the ground inside, which wasn’t only covered with hard stone but had a thick, soft layer of fine sand above it, a nice contrast and definitely easier on his knees. The seond thing was a rather large selection of differently colored adult toys of the female preference.

  All of it drew his attention so flashily while he shielded Kolu’s eyes that he was a bit caught off guard by an unfamiliar voice.

  “You must be the Black Beak I’ve heard about, or Kenneth, as Rock called you,” A slender man with dark, almost translucent-looking raspberry-colored scales said, his voice smooth and alluring.

  He was leaning down over a counter with a stone slab and what looked like a piece of chalk to his side, wearing loose, open clothing.

  “Yes, that is me. I hope I’m not intruding, but the last time Nokrock and I talked, he said he would make something for me. I just wanted to see how it’s coming along.” Kenneth asked.

  He lazily smiled, slowly getting up to sit on the counter, “Rock has been rather busy lately, but I did catch him a little earlier, making something different from the norm. You can have a look if you want; he’s in the back.”

  “Thanks, that would be great. So, just that way or what?” Kenneth pointed to an open doorway with pyramid bead-shaped crystals on strings.

  “I’ll take you to him in a bit, but first,” He replied, walking around the counter and taking a seat on it with his eyes focusing on Split, who, up until this point, didn’t take a gander around the shop. “Will you want to place an order for anything, a bit of jewelry for a special someone… or something more personal?”

  “No,” She replied, stoic-looking as ever.

  It was as if nothing had happened just a couple of days ago.

  “While models for sculpting are less than we like, we do offer a selection, and for an extra fee, we will make something like a special someone’s if you prefer.” The man persistently attempted to entice her, his long, slender tail slithering across the table and wrapping around the chalk as he began to write something down without ever taking his eyes off her.

  Yet she replied the same as before, “No.”

  “A shame, but we are always open,” the man shook his head and turned to Kenneth. “Apologies for the delay. Now let us see how far he’s come along.”

  In the back, the collection of sculpted crystals was somehow even more impressive with sculptures of animals, like Ubbi’s, Uzisnappers, and more, that Kenneth had never seen. Yet all of them impressively, even with their life-like features, paled to the largest crystal. A small-scale sculpture of the village.

  It wasn’t finished yet, but still, it was very impressive; even Kolu let his eyes wander, and the talented individual who had made all of these was sitting right in the center of the room, working away carefully, grinding down another crystal.

  The room was silent, and no one was saying anything, so he chose to get his attention, “Ahem… Sorry for the intrusion, Nokrock, but I just wanted to see how my order was coming along.”

  Not even turning around to face him, Nokrock just flipped the crystal and grinded another side.

  ‘Huh… guess he’s busy, but still a little rude not to say anything,’ Kenneth thought as the man who had stood behind the counter suddenly threw his arms around Nokrock and covered his eyes. Yet he kept working as if nothing had happened.

  He looked back at the two, his scales darkening as he smiled, “When he works, nothing can take him from it. Such is life, I suppose, to hatch with such magic which allows such fine crafts to be made.”

  “So he doesn’t need to see in order to work?” Kenneth questioned.

  “In this state, nothing can disturb him, not even if you take his eyes, peel his scales, or… “ His smile widened as his gaze shifted from the two and down to the floor where Nokrock’s tail rested, softly chuckling. “… stab him from behind with his own tools.”

  If that was a joke, Kenneth got it but didn’t struggle to suppress laughter. He was about to speak when Nokrock suddenly stopped his work.

  “DONE!!!” He yelled so abruptly and so loudly that Kenneth covered Kolu’s ears, yet the yelling was followed by loud “bangs” and “cracking.”

  Reflexively, he held Kolu close to him as his head snapped toward the sound.

  It was the sculpture of the Uzisnapper, but it was surprising it had fallen over, given its wide feet and placement. He could only assume it had been Split who’d done it since she was closest, but she didn’t really strike him as someone who’d react so violently to a little shouting, given how she’d acted with an actual Uzisnapper.

  “Oh, how unfortunate,” the man calmly said.

  Nokrock stood up and said loudly, “Havadoo! Tell Kenneth, the beaky one, the order is complete.”

  “Wow, you weren't kidding about him being absorbed in his work.” Kenneth couldn’t help but remark, his voice catching Nokrock’s attention as he turned around.

  “You’re here good,” Nokrock said, walking over and handing him his order, which was a little red elongated triangle.

  Kenneth looked at it. It was certainly very polished to the point it was nearly as clear as glass, but there was one problem: “It’s nice, but it might be a dud.”

  “Let it rest in the light for some time, and it will be brilliant,” He proudly said, finally taking notice of the broken sculpture.

  Kenneth looked back at Split, who stayed silent., “Shouldn’t you say something?”

  “I didn’t break it,” She replied.

  He rolled his eyes as Nokrock walked over and picked up the broken sculpture and then proceeded to place it on the work table, “I’ll get started on that order for… whoever.”

  “No, you're not,” Havadoo said firmly, dragging Nokrock out of the back room. “You haven't eaten, and I don’t want to clean up after you again.”

  “Fine, I’ll go to the toilet,” Nokrock reluctantly agreed.

  As Kenneth followed them out, Havadoo turned to him, “Now, not to be too forward, but there is the matter of payment. He can’t be given these things away… again.”

  “Oh… will this do?” Kenneth asked, pulling a solid gold scalpel from his bag.

  Havadoo looked at it in stunned silence for a moment, “Rock, get your tools; you are cutting gold.”

  Spinning around and rubbing his hands with an excited look, Nokrock went back into the back.

  “You’re the brains behind the operation, and he’s the muscle,” Kenneth noticed.

  “If not for me, he would have starved to death, giving his work away for free. He’s a master at the craft but barely thinks of anything else.”

  “Good, he has a brother like you then,” Kenneth replied.

  Havadoo looked at Kenneth for a moment in silence before he erupted in hissing laughter, “Rock, did you hear? Kenneth thinks we are brothers!”

  A moment later, Nokrock came out from the back with tools in hand, his sight already focused on the golden scalpel.

  “Apologies, business partners,” Kenneth corrected himself.

  “You must have your head filled with rocks like him,” Havadoo said through laughter, knocking on Nokrock’s head. “But you are closer. He is my partner… my life partner, that is. Didn’t you hear how we talk to each other?”

  “So Nok is a prefix and not part of your name,” Kenneth assumed. “Sorry, I did think you two were together like that; I just assumed you were like the Aki, with ‘homosexuality is wrong and kill all the gays.’”

  Never so quickly had the sound in the dry air dissipated aside from Nokrock, who at that moment cut off a tiny piece of gold from the scalpel and handed it back to Kenneth.

  Feeling the awkwardness in the air, Kenneth thought it best to just end the situation, “Well, thanks for the crystal, and sorry about the Uzisnapper. I know it must have taken long to make.”

  “Piss on it. I’m about to make it into dick’s,” Nokrock said with a hardy laugh.

  Nokhavadoo added, “It was only collecting dust. We weren't even paid for any of them. The former lord Obaliy talked so grandly about hunting the most dangerous predators and the desired moments for each. Shame the last one ended up killing her before we got paid.”

  In the midst of his talking, Nokhavadoo hadn’t noticed Nokrock retreating to his work table before the familiar sound of the tools hitting the wood rang out, and he had to turn around, almost sprinting, yelling, “No, you don’t! Go to the toilet and get some food!”

  Thinking it was about time to leave, Kenneth, Kolu, and Split did so while he eyed the crystal. ‘If it shines better, it will always be a plus, but I feel like one slip, and it’s in pieces. I should probably look into making a protective casing.’

  “Are there any blacksmiths or metal workers near us?” Kenneth asked Split.

  She led the way on a bit of a walk to the other side of the underground village, walking past buildings, crystals, and people still trying to get their ears checked out. The usual.

  However, one place on their way caught Kenneth’s attention. An empty space with writing on the walls and floor, along with a guard railing that surrounded a dark, shallow pit with a mud-like substance in it.

  Standing near it was a familiar figure he recognized from Nokuji’s breakfast table, one of the commanders, in fact. Unlike most, her attire consisted only of a long, flowing, loose skirt and a sleeveless open vest, with the golden brooch pinned on her chest completely blank.

  She knelt down, her palm glancing over the railing before she retracted that hand, peeled some scales off her arm, and threw them into the muddy substance.

  “So what is that place all about? A place for prayer where you give your offerings?” Kenneth asked.

  “It is where we enter Amito’s embrace,” Split replied.

  “Meaning?”

  “All know of its meaning, even shedlings.”

  “… You know, I’m really surprised your way of answering my questions is only pissing me off now.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  She glanced back at him for only a second. “It is where we return from where we hatched. It is where we lay the dead to rest and remember their names.”

  Well, he asked for clarification, but he didn’t feel all too good about it, preferring silence for the rest of the walk to their destination, where the loud banging of metal reminded Kenneth of Huto’s forge, only this one was at least five times bigger in comparison with sand-covered floors.

  “What brings you here, little healer?!” Noksuza, who was apparently a blacksmith, called out over the loud banging.

  Kenneth approached as she continued to hammer away at a slab of metal, “Didn’t know you were a blacksmith! I actually wanted--”

  “What?!” Noksuza yelled over the loud banging.

  With a raised eyebrow, he pointed to her arm and hammer, which continuously struck at the metal slab, “Am I interrupting?!”

  She looked at her arm with a surprised expression as if she hadn’t known she’d been hammering away, stopping immediately. “Once you get me going, I forget to stop.”

  “I’d say,” another blacksmith interjected in a hardy light tone. “Not a man or woman in the village doesn’t know that.”

  “With you lacking any hammering skills, someone has to make up for it,” She cracked back.

  “How many notches have you given the little healer?” A third blacksmith asked.

  With a smirk, she replied, “More than you.”

  “That good? Or have your standards fallen?” The second blacksmith hissily laughed.

  “You would know Nokroba. You always bring them down to a new low,” Noksuza laughed along with the two others for a moment before turning her attention to Kenneth. “So, what brought you here?”

  “It was a request to make a casing for this crystal,” Kenneth said, showing it to her. “I’d like something to keep it safe but also funnel the light out one end like the one I used on you.”

  “The casing is simple, but it’ll lose light if it’s locked inside,” Nokroba chimed in, joining them.

  It was then followed by the third blacksmith, “Then we will have to make it removable, maybe by making the place holding it wider.”

  “Do you have scales in your brain, Nokelbie?” Noksuza said. “It is going to slip out and break. The casing needs to be locked but also removable, so it can draw in light.”

  “We could cut a hole in the casing for light to come in,” Nokroba suggested.

  “You simpleton,” Nokelbie responded. “Exposed like that, it’ll crack at the slightest bump.”

  Their conversation was long and filled with insults, but effectively, they were working together, throwing out ideas and seeing what would stick for the best possible design.

  Though he liked the enthusiasm, it would probably be best to get it perfectly like a flashlight so he wouldn’t end up with something strange. “I could draw you a barely usable blueprint for at least how my people make them.”

  All three looked at him like he’d just uttered the most horrendous sentence imaginable.

  “Oh, you’ve got us going now after spending… I don’t know how long it took to make replacement parts for the gates,” Noksuza sternly said. “We will be making this, and you won’t say a word.”

  Message received, though one part of it caught his attention: “Are the gates broken?”

  “Don’t talk to me about gates and gears anymore,” Nokroba hissily groaned.

  “It happens now and again,” Nokelbie answered him. “A gear or some other pieces rusted or are worn down, and we have to replace them; until then, the gates are stuck and can’t be used. It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t have to melt the entire part down with a little more and then reshape the form. If only there had been more gold out of the mines, we wouldn’t have had to work so much on it. ”

  “Enough of that,” Noksuza said, looking at Kenneth. “We are going to figure something out and let you know when the casing is done, but first, there is the matter of how you are going to pay us for our work and metals.”

  “So what are you talking about, bronze, copper, silver, gold?” Kenneth questioned.

  Noksuza opened her mouth with a smile, “You know what I want, and I won’t have anything else. The thing you’ve been teasing everyone with. Now stick it inside both holes.”

  “You really lost a crystal in both now,” Kenneth sarcastically remarked, drawing some laughter while he got the tool he was going to need from his bag: a Q-tip.

  Well, he couldn’t complain too much. As far as payments went, they were rather cheap, though it was time-consuming to have to clean their ears with them, more or less, always going down and lying on the floor.

  It wasn’t exactly how he had expected to spend his time. After a bit, Kolu had stepped outside because of the heat, though he kept within Kenneth’s line of sight as he continued to work.

  For them, hours must have flown by as the fire in the forge died out, but for him, it was tedious, with his arm going numb halfway through. At the point all of them had fallen asleep one by one, he figured it was enough.

  “What time is it?” Kenneth asked, rubbing his forearm and rotator cuff.

  By now, barely a soul was in sight, most having retreated to their homes for the day, and those who remained seemed to be on their way.

  “You should return to the top side and go to sleep,” Split said.

  Kenneth let out a huff, “Is it just okay to leave those three sleeping on the floor? Shouldn’t we wake them so they can go home?”

  “Nothing will happen to them. It’s warm enough down here,” Split said.

  Ticked off, Kenneth walked back inside and tried to wake one of them, only to suddenly be grabbed by Noksuza in her sleep and almost get dragged over to the two others before managing to escape.

  “Nope, ain’t going to be trapped under a pile again,” He said out loud, backing away as the three, ever so slowly in their sleep, moved closer to one another for heat.

  Sighing, Kenneth turned around and began to walk out. He couldn’t stand the heat anymore and just wanted to go back up top with Kolu following, though looking more than just sleepy.

  “Sorry, it took so long.”

  Kolu didn’t respond as he held the bucket with barely any water left in it more tightly.

  “Don’t go that way,” Split suddenly told him.

  Groning, he looked around, barely slowing down, “Why?! Some holy ground or something?”

  The only thing he could see that was in his way was some clothes strewn about on the ground, though something that glinted on the ground caught his attention for a second before he briskly walked into a wall made from thin air.

  Staggering back and losing his footing, he was shocked by the sudden appearance of a giant maw that let out an “aw…!”

  One second later, the mouth was not the only thing that suddenly appeared as a full nude; pale Nok did as well. They made eye contact, and suddenly, she changed into an assortment of rainbow colors before curling up into what could only be described as a ball of shame.

  “Nokkibia, what are you doing?!” A stern voice called out from another flying mouth as another Nok appeared out of thin air. “If this were combat, you’d be dead. Now get standing, and everyone give me twenty!”

  Suddenly, four other nude men and women appeared and loudly said, “Yes, Commander Nokiolite!”As they began changing colors from red, blue, green, and onwards, a couple glared at Nokkibia, who, while holding some clothing in front of herself, changed her scale coloring as well.

  Getting standing, Kenneth wasn’t quite sure what to make of it all.

  They were all nude, but there was quite literally nothing between their legs, so he didn’t quite understand the woman's shamefulness, and he did feel a slight uncertainty about shielding Kolu’s eyes, but he did it anyway just to be safe.

  “You are here too,” a man among the group said, looking in Kenneth’s direction.

  His confusion mounting, another voice suddenly stuttered, “Ye-yes… you-you know… I’m a-a--”

  Kenneth glanced back to see a man engaging in the punishment standing a bit to the wayside, going through the colors about twice as quickly as the others.

  “Don’t get distracted and focus!” Nokiolite sternly said. “Not that it matters, but I’ve had Nokkuoras follow us since we got here. He’s better than all of you, so I expect he can handle more than the rest of you! He’s already done his twenty. And now he’ll do another, and if even one of you can’t finish before him, you are going to do fifty.”

  With stakes on the line, everyone got their tempo up, though most still glanced at Nokkibia, who was by far the slowest of the bunch.

  “You could have said something,” Kenneth whispered to Split.

  “I did.”

  “Yeah, but maybe something more like there’s invisible people ahead, not 'doesn’t go that way.” Maybe,” he said, barely hiding annoyance and anger in his tone.

  “It’s obvious with the clothes,” she replied, her tone always the same.

  With a mounting headache, Kenneth rubbed his brow, but as a bulky hand smacked down on his shoulder, he felt a sensation of shock and surprise course through his body as he did a little jump.

  “Do you not have eyes?!” Nokiolite questioned in her deep, stern voice.

  Recovering from the sudden shock, he looked up at her glowing orange and brown eyes, “I’m sorry I didn’t see any of them. It was an honest mistake.”

  Before she responded, he could hear Kolu let out an angry growl, and before he did something he shouldn’t, Kenneth grabbed his arm and pulled him behind him, the bucket flying from his grasp.

  “At least all of them can do that much,” she hissed, turning her attention to her subordinates, who all just about finished their twenty a' hairs-breath before Nokkouras. “Decent, now Nokkibia, explain to me why you didn’t get out of the way when you saw someone coming your way.”

  Looking spent, Nokkibia suddenly straightened her posture while still covering herself, “I’m sorry, Commander Nokiolite, it’s too hard to blend and move at the same time.”

  “Next part of the training, everyone's right arm matches!” She yelled like a drill sergeant, and like green recruits, all of them followed her command, turning their right arm invisible. “Now, walk ten steps!”

  All of them did as instructed, some making it further than others, and those who failed walked back to the start position.

  “Where was I now with you?” She asked Kenneth.

  “You were about to accept my apology and understand people make mistakes,” Kenneth said sarcastically, seeing if it was worth a shot.

  She locked eyes with him for a second, looking maybe a bit bemused, but then her eyes softened a barely noticeable bit as she took her hand off his shoulder, “Be on your way, and if you are feeling it, you are welcome to walk into that shy shedling or any of the others. They could need some sudden practice.”

  “I’ll… consider it,” Kenneth said, taking his leave from that situation rather quickly.

  “She wouldn’t have hurt you when you have ‘guest right,’” Split said.

  Rubbing his brow with his tired hand to ease his headache while the other held a tight but not painful grip on Kolu, he just said in a growling tone, “Just shut it, would you? I just want to get some fresh air and get at least an hour of sleep.”

  Seeming to oblige his request, all of them walked in relative silence back the way they’d gone, but passing the muddy graveyard pit, he noticed Nokoovo standing by the railing. He hadn’t seen her in a good while and remembered the insightful, if not a bit strange, conversation they’d had.

  While he would have liked to have another one, now probably wasn’t the time. She probably didn’t want to be interrupted, so out of courtesy, he slowed his pace a good deal.

  However, Split seemed to think his intention was something else, so she grabbed him by his arm and made him hurry along.

  “Hey, let go,” Kenneth said in a hushed voice, trying not to disturb Nokoovo.

  Not relenting, Split told him, “Listen to my warning.”

  “Keep quiet and have some respect,” Kenneth hushed her.

  She only glanced back, “She wouldn’t visit anyone there.”

  All the noise caught Nokoovo’s attention as she looked in their direction for a second.

  Split immediately pulled on Kenneth harder and ignored her. However, unsure of what she’d heard, he wasn’t just going to go without at least apologizing.

  So he stood his ground and ripped his arm free, a task not too insurmountable since she wasn’t gripping so fiercely. She looked back at him but didn’t stop him as he wandered over to Nokoovo. However, for the first time, Kolu stayed back.

  Yet it didn’t stop him as he continued, but kept a bit of a respectable distance, “I hope I’m not interrupting or anything?”

  She didn’t greet him, but gave him a short glance.

  “Sorry if I am. I’m not sure how much of what she said you heard, but I just wanted to apologize for what she said,” Kenneth explained.

  “Most everyone doesn’t come this close,” Nokoovo said in an unreadable voice, though not one he perceived as frightened or unwelcoming of his presence.

  Kenneth walked up to the railing beside her and looked at the black triangular, muddy hole. “Most are uncomfortable with death. We all know it’s inevitable, and yet a lot of people would like to fool themselves. Ignoring it and, in a sense, trying to deny it. I’m not really scared of graveyards. I’ve dealt with death up close a lot in my time.”

  She glanced at him with her eyes slightly wider now as he quickly backtracked.

  “Sorry… I didn’t mean to be so morbid.”

  “I’m… used to much worse,” She replied with a pause as if she was unsure.

  Kenneth observed the letters etched into the stone, none of which he could read, but strangely looked familiar as if he'd seen the writing or at least the lettering somewhere else. “Are you visiting someone?”

  She looked down into the pitch black mud, “My teacher… he… he is the only one. That strict, bitter, miserable, sacking old man.”

  “How did he die?”

  She looked ahead with a distanced stare and let out a hissing, dejected sigh.“…I found him lying on the ground in complete silence, eyes open and clutching his clothes. Oldness… was the cause. That was what everyone said. It couldn’t be anything else.”

  “Oldness,” Kenneth felt the word in his mouth as he glanced at her. “It’s a bit broad term, but if I had to venture a guess, it might have been a heart attack… or well, I guess two. He just got too old, and his heart’s gave up.”

  Standing in silence, Nokoovo stared at him, and in a nervous sweat that he’d said something wrong, he stared back while out of the corner of his eye, he could see Split tensing, getting ready.

  Yet all that did happen was that her scales ever so slightly grew less white, and she abruptly turned around, trying to leave.

  “I’m sorry I was--!”

  “No,” She interrupted, stopping up. “His death has been on my mind for a long time. At least now I know it’s something more than getting older. Perhaps I can figure out what and how.”

  Biting his tongue, he stopped himself from just blurting out all the technical stuff; he instead changed the subject, “You know, I’ve been thinking about what you told me regarding healing and all that, and if you are interested, I think I’ve come up with a theory.”

  She almost immediately turned around and looked at him, “What is it?”

  “Yes, you see, since healing only speeds up the body's natural process, I began to wonder if it was true for everything; as someone who’s been healed myself, the passage of time seems to remain the same in my mind, so I don’t think it affects everything--”

  “But is the mind the same as the body, or is it merely a trick it plays?” She interrupted. “I do not know that, but what I do know is your heart will beat faster even if you don’t feel it.

  “I once made a wound in my arm and held it open, and before it was healed, a drop of blood didn’t flow but leaped out and hit the wall.”

  “…Hmmm, depending on the wound, such a thing could be unnoticeable,” Kenneth replied. “I’ll keep that in mind if it ever becomes relevant, but it probably won’t. If you are being healed, then your blood production will increase as well.”

  “Would it, though?” Nokoovo questioned. “If you only focus on one part, would the other be affected?”

  “It’s something to keep in mind, I suppose, but there is something I’ve been wondering about regarding healing. It’s just that if it accelerates the body's natural processes, then it could also shorten your life due to cells splitting and the natural degradation of keeping it up,” Kenneth explained.

  “But what about when your entire body isn’t being healed, only your arm or tail?” She questioned as suddenly her unreadable expression became blank as if she was suppressing something.

  Kenneth noticed this but kept going, “Well, it’s hard to say. I haven't really tested it in any capacity, but let's say if only an arm is healed and nothing else is affected, then with time, it could possibly be your arm developing joint pain…”

  Suddenly, in the middle of his explanation, Nokoovo, like in their first conversation, spun around and walked away, this time not out of an alley but up the sloped surface of a building and onto the other side.

  ‘huh… must have… grown bored?’ Kenneth surmised, a bit uncertain about what to make of it all.

  However, he was soon reminded of his tiredness as he turned around and walked the other way, being reminded of Split as he faced her while standing nearby at a distance, looking at him, her expression changing slightly before hardening as she followed behind him.

  He wasn’t the only one to be tired, as Kolu let out a yawn, looking about ready to drop, his eyes continuously closing. After having him wait for so long, it was only natural. Without saying a word, he lifted him up into his arms, where he promptly fell asleep.

  With him out for the count, he confronted Split, “You looked like you wanted to say something.”

  “I looked that way. Yes.”

  Sighing, Kenneth had had just about enough, “Spit it out.”

  “You are a little different.”

  “At least I am,” Kenneth remarked.

  “And that’s supposed to mean?”

  “Maybe it’s you choosing not to mention that Nokmao was trying to kill you and act like nothing happened afterward.”

  “Nothing would have come ot it--”

  “What? Do you mean because of a crime you committed?” Kenneth cut her off.

  For a second, her scales flickered brightly, “You know it.”

  “I know of it. One of the hunters out in the swamp mentioned I would see reason and let you die once I knew what you had done,” Kenneth explained. “Honestly, I brushed it aside at the time, but I didn’t think they were lying.

  “So what did you do? What can be so bad that you are willing to lie about a murder attempt on you because nothing would come of it?”

  “…What would knowing do?” Split replied.

  “You are unbelievable, you know!” Kenneth hissed in frustration. “I know you protected me and kept me safe out there, so we are probably even, but you said you wouldn’t forget what I did for you.”

  “I remember.”

  Kenneth just began turning around and walking away, Kolu still fast asleep, “And so all go back to normal until next time, Nokmao and her subordinates try to kill you and toss away your body.”

  “Either she is only involved, or it has to be an animal. No other way would she accept, and I can handle her on my own.”

  “That’s beside the point,” Kenneth yelled in a hushed voice. “You acted so gloomy, like you wanted to die, but when it came to it, you wanted to live. I know. At least have the decency to act a bit normal, not like you always are now.”

  “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what I did.”

  “I don’t know, but I probably will at some point, so explain.”

  “I didn’t… I wasn’t there… I was protecting.” She fumbled over her words before briefly pausing, raised her gaze slightly, and looked up to the ceiling. “If you want to know, my brother can tell you. Both of you can speak when it’s clear.”