To Warmer Plains, Chapter 1

Kit drifted off to sleep that night only after a long period of watching the Black Ice Shadow stand vigilantly as her guard. The situation was uncomfortable at best, though she reasoned that it was better to have such a man as her guard than her attacker. The next morning brought the beginning of a day that would be similar to the last one, though their silence was considerably more tense. Their conversation had a broken a barrier that neither was ready to cross, and each felt obligated to spark another dialog, but neither could find the words appropriate to do so.

Kit was thankful that, even amongst friends, words would have been few. The hills grew steeper and the noontime weather hotter; this day's trek was much more difficult than the previous day's. They hugged the edge of the Grey River; it provided them all of the water they needed. They carried salted meat and dried bread, so hunting was not yet a necessity. With the harsher terrain and purposeful mood, the day passed quickly. Nighttime brought more interesting developments.

Black Ice Shadow looked down the Grey River into the sunset. Though his gaze remained forward, Kit could feel his mind searching the terrain, and perhaps the stars, as they began to make themselves known to the encroaching night sky. When he spoke, his tone was more casual than Kit had expected.

"I think I shall sleep tonight. I'll build a shelter near the water; the river in this area is too shallow for river dragon's, and lesser beasts will avoid our scent. We should be safe under the cover of darkness and foliage."