The forest woke with them.
Kael opened his eyes to a world still draped in shadow, dew clinging to the leaves, birds hadn't yet begun their songs, and for a few precious heartbeats, everything was still. The fire they had built from broken branches and dried moss had long since died to glowing embers.
He turned his head and saw her.
Seris sat near the edge of the small clearing, her knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Her hair was unbraided, falling in soft tangles, catching the faint shimmer of dawn. She looked like something half-remembered from a dream, fragile, and yet untouchable.
Kael sat up slowly, his muscles stiff from sleep and the bruises earned in their escape.
"You're awake early," he said, voice rough from disuse.
"I never slept," Seris replied without turning. "The forest talks too much."
Kael gave a quiet chuckle. "Still the same. You used to say that when we camped in the Stone wood. You'd threaten to burn it down if the wind rustled too loud."
She looked at him now, eyes soft but guarded. "Maybe I still will."
A long pause stretched between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable, it felt like old cloth being smoothed out, familiar, but wrinkled by time.
Kael stood and moved to the pack of wild herbs and bark they had gathered the evening before, no bread, no salted meat. Just forest offerings and memory. "We need food."
Seris rose as well, brushing her palms over her skirt. "Then we hunt."
Kael nodded, and without another word, they moved together into the dense woods, their steps in sync, like old dance partners who had forgotten their steps only to rediscover them as they went along.
Kael glanced at Seris, noticing how she moved with ease, as if she had never left this life behind. She was still a hunter, still sharp in the ways of the wild.
"Do you remember the Stone wood?" he asked, his voice low.
She glanced back at him, a fleeting smile touching her lips. "You're asking me that now?" Her eyes sparkled, though it wasn't the teasing kind of light he remembered. It was something deeper, something tangled in shared grief and things left unsaid. "You never let me forget it. Not once."
The memory hit him hard, a pang of sweetness mixed with the sting of loss. Their days in the Stone wood had been simple, wild and free. But that life was gone now. Everything had changed.
Kael shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. "I still remember how you used to sneak off, then come back with a wild boar slung over your shoulder. Thought I could never catch up to you."
"You never could," Seris teased, but there was warmth in her voice, the old playfulness returning.
They moved deeper into the woods, Kael tracking the ground as Seris scanned the trees. Kael didn't need to ask her where they were going, he could see it in her eyes. She was looking for the kill, always the same.
Before long, they found it: a deer, grazing near the edge of the forest. It was unaware of them, lost in its own world. Kael made a low sound in his throat, signaling to Seris, and they both crouched, moving as silently as the wind.
Kael reached for his makeshift spear, the sharp tip glinting in the faint light. Seris held her breath, fingers twitching, eyes fixed on the animal. The hunt was on.
In the next breath, they moved together, fast and sure. The deer bolted when it sensed the movement, but Kael was faster. With a burst of energy, he closed the distance between them, spearing the deer through its side. It gave a shuddering gasp before collapsing to the ground.
Kael's heart pounded in his chest as he knelt next to the fallen creature. He glanced up at Seris, who was already moving to gather the tools they would need to clean and prepare the meat.
She caught his eye. "Still fast."
"Always have been," Kael said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, his breath heavy.
Later, as the fire crackled, they roasted the deer meat on makeshift skewers. The smell filled the air, rich, earthy, and primal. It was simple food, but in this moment, it felt like everything they had ever needed.
Seris sat on the ground, legs stretched out before her as she turned the meat over the flames. "I used to love hunting here," she said, her voice almost a whisper.
Kael watched her, feeling the weight of her words settle into his chest. "I know."
She turned to him, meeting his gaze. There was something unspoken between them, something that hadn't been said in years. "Do you miss it? The way things were before?"
Kael hesitated, his thoughts like tangled threads. "I don't know if I miss it," he said slowly. "But I miss… us. How it felt to be with you. Before everything changed."
Seris lowered her gaze, looking down at the fire as it flickered in the stillness. "I miss it too."
They ate in silence, the crackle of the fire and the distant calls of the forest their only company. But as they finished their meal, a sudden rustling from the trees broke the peace.
Before Kael could react, a wild boar came charging from the underbrush, its tusks bared. It rushed at them with terrifying speed, and Seris was already on her feet, spear in hand.
"Get back!" she shouted to Kael, her eyes focused, her body ready. "Stay behind me."
Kael didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, grabbing a nearby branch to defend himself. The boar swiped at Seris, its tusks grazing her arm. She gritted her teeth, a sharp breath escaping her as she pushed forward, jabbing her spear into the boar's side.
With a final, desperate screech, the boar fell, its body twitching. Kael rushed to her side, heart hammering in his chest.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice strained.
Seris nodded, wincing as she pressed her hand against the wound. "I'll survive."
Kael's eyes softened. He was already reaching for the bandages they had made earlier, his hands gentle as he wrapped them around her arm.
Kael knelt beside Seris, his fingers careful as he unwrapped the makeshift bandages from his pack. The wound on her arm was deeper than he'd first realized. Blood had soaked through the fabric, and the skin was raw and tender from the tusks. It wasn't just a physical injury, he could see the way she clenched her jaw, her eyes shadowed with something far more painful than just the wound.
"Let me," Kael murmured, his voice softer than usual, laced with something more vulnerable. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for the wound, gently lifting her arm.
Seris didn't pull away, but the sharp intake of breath as his fingers grazed the raw skin spoke volumes. "Kael, I'll be fine," she whispered, but the words felt hollow. She hated being dependent, hated this moment of fragility more than she could say.
Kael's gaze was steady, his touch gentle but firm. "I know," he said quietly, meeting her eyes with an intensity that made her breath hitch. "But I'm not going to let you get through this alone. Not again."
He carefully cleaned the wound with some water and herbs they'd gathered, his fingers moving tenderly as he worked, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Each touch was a silent promise, each glance a soft apology for the years they'd lost. Every movement seemed to pull them back to a time when he had held her like this, when they had been whole, before the war, before the world had torn them apart.
Seris watched him in silence, the raw emotions flickering in her eyes, things she couldn't say, things she didn't know how to say. He had always been there. Even when she hadn't wanted him to be, when she had pulled away, he had been there.
"Thank you," she said finally, her voice so soft it was barely a whisper.
Kael paused for a moment, his hand lingering on her arm. His thumb brushed over her skin, tracing the delicate line of her pulse. "You don't have to thank me. I'd do this a thousand times if it means you're here." His words were simple, but they held a depth of emotion that was unspoken. They had both been hurt by so much, by time, by war, by distance, but now, in this quiet moment, there was a connection between them, a warmth that neither had expected.
Her heart twisted, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Instead, she let her eyes close, letting the feeling of him caring for her wash over her. He was here. She was here. And maybe, just maybe, they could rebuild.
By the time they were finished, the sun was high in the sky, and the edge of the Vale was just a short distance away.
"I think we made it," Kael said, glancing around at the shifting shadows of the trees.
Seris stepped forward, her gaze intense, as if she could see past the forest into the future. "We're not out yet," she said, her voice low but steady. "But we're close."
They moved forward together, side by side, as the edge of the Vale opened before them, the wind carrying with it the scent of something ancient, something untamed.
And they stepped into it.