Kylie had rarely met human strangers before, though not for a lack of desire to. Villagers from Rodehills made occasional trips to trade their goods at the major cities. She’d always wanted to do a bit of travelling and see the world outside the villages, but she still had a little over a year before she’d be old enough to go with the traders. Plus, she’d need Asalya to want to come, and the wolf seemed reluctant.

Rodehills and Nighthills sat on a plateau, bordered by the base of the Whitestone Mountains to the north-west, piney forest to the south, and maple forest to the north and east. Neither town was very old - Kylie’s grandfather remembered the founding of Rodehills, where his parents and their fellow shepherds had chosen to settle simply because they found a clearing with running water nearby, and this was as good a spot as any. Nighthills was younger than Kylie herself, and she could remember the day Madeline and the wolves founded the village quite clearly. There were no cities west of Rodehills that one could travel to, and so the only road to the village ended there. Visitors to the twin towns were quite rare. 

Kylie, sitting on a mat she and her dad placed on the floor, looked over the stranger resting in her bed. They had brought nothing with them. No goods, no weapons, no food or drink. Perhaps all that had been lost. Now, closer up, Kylie could see the dozens of little rips in the fabric of their dress, likely where it had been torn by thorns or branches. That damage could have happened in the sprint to Rodehills, but that sprint alone couldn’t have made them so exhausted that they’d slept this long. It had been three days.

The local doctor had come by on the first night and the second day. They left, unable to find anything specifically wrong. It was times like this the village wanted for a healing mage who could find and fix the ailment. Or at least assure everyone that the doctor was right in saying that the stranger merely needed more rest. The village-wide demand for a magical solution to help their visitor had led Madeline to go contact her mysterious sources. She’d been away for a while.

Kylie’s father was also away, leading the charge to either find the beast or confirm that it had fled far enough to no longer be a problem. Even more villagers were spending their days away from the town, replanting the areas that had been set ablaze by the flaming monster, in the hopes that more trees would grow in spring. That left Kylie mostly alone, her self-imposed task to watch over the stranger. Even Asalya couldn’t help her with that. Kylie had no idea when her father would return, and no way to sneak the massive wolf out of the only door. Having Asalya inside with her would make it less lonely, but she didn’t want to have that argument with her dad.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kylie saw the stranger move their arm. Then their eyes started to open. Kylie jumped and stood up. Her tail wagged. She hadn’t even been aware that she was excited for this moment.

The village was small enough that Kylie knew everyone older than her from the moment she was born, and had witnessed the infancy of everyone younger. From the moment she was born, Kylie had found herself somewhat between generations, being closer in age to the youngest of her father’s cousins than the eldest of her own. Few kids in town were her age. Everyone in town knew her name, and only the very young kids didn’t know her deadname - not that she had ever been particularly guarded about it. Introducing herself to the wolves was the first time she’d introduced herself to a stranger, and perhaps that feeling had given her a taste for it.

The stranger turned their head slowly, their brown eyes meeting Kylie’s grey. Dragging yourself out of a three-day sleep was very difficult. They seemed to have only made it halfway to consciousness.

“Hey, I’m Kylie, of Nighthills. Pleasure to meet you.” She offered her hand for the stranger to shake it.

They sat up suddenly and let out a hacking cough into their elbow. Kylie tensed. Her heel turned back in preparation to run to the doctor, but the coughing soon subsided. 

“I’m- I’m Naomi Birch.” Their voice sounded weak, strained. They looked at Kylie, focusing in on her ears and tail. Their eyes darted anxiously before looking away. “Of-of Laryth. Lightbringer for the Order of Rejuvenance. Am I still within the territories affiliated with Laryth? Forgive me, I’ve never heard of Nighthills.”

Kylie nodded slowly, not entirely sure if she’d understood the question. “My dad’s made trips to Laryth before, so I think we’re affiliated. I’m sorry, I might have made things more confusing? You’re actually in Rodehills, and I’m technically from Rodehills but I spend more time in Nighthills, which is our new sister town. Let’s just pretend I said Rodehills, that’s easier to explain, anyway.”

They gently shook their head, then brushed their hair out of their eyes. “Sorry. I’ve never heard of Rodehills either.”

“Oh.”

Kylie didn’t know what to say. In her rush to make a new friend, she’d forgotten that conversation was never her strong suit. This is why she liked the company of wolves - their language was easier to understand.

Naomi’s scratchy, dry coughing started again.

“Would you like some water?” asked Kylie.

“That’d be-” another cough interrupted them. They nodded instead. Kylie ran to the tap and came back with a glass. Naomi took it from her and immediately started drinking.

Kylie realized she forgot something in her introduction. “Oh! My pronouns are she, her, hers, just so you know.”

Naomi’s eyes widened and they fumbled to put the glass down on the nightstand. “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I’ve met someone new, and people don’t usually ask for my pronouns.”

“No worries, we don’t meet a lot of new people around here, I’m not used to asking either.” Kylie waited to see if they’d offer theirs up, but they reached for the glass again instead. “So, what are yours? If it’s not a problem to ask.”

“Oh. Mine are also she, her, hers.” she said, glancing first at Kylie then quickly focusing her vision on her glass. “And I’m a girl.”

“Awesome. Me too.” Kylie gave the most sincere smile she could. It was clear her guest felt uncomfortable, but Kylie didn’t really know what to do to help her. Still, she wanted to help this poor girl feel okay in any way she could.

“You have fangs,” Naomi said.

Kylie stopped smiling. “Yeah?”

“Sorry.”

Silence filled the room as unasked questions weighed over them. Kylie wanted to ask what the thing chasing her was, where it came from, who Naomi was and what led her here, what was wrong with her fangs? But she didn’t ask any of them. Naomi looked to have an unasked question too, one more pressing. Am I safe?

Kylie nodded towards a bandage her father had wrapped around one of Naomi’s fingers. “Do you want me to go get the doctor?”

Naomi took a moment to recognize what Kylie was referring to. Then she gently shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”

Quietly, slowly, Naomi said something. Even with her heightened hearing, Kylie could barely detect anything. What she could hear she could only vaguely recognize as words, ones belonging to a language she didn’t understand. Naomi spoke more, faster now. Her posture straightened in the bed, sitting with her back ridgid, her chin held high. In a moment the long braids of her hair lifted gently as if pushed lightly by a wind that didn’t exist.

Kylie had experienced magic before. Her potions had felt heavy, subsuming. For the minutes before sleep when her potions had worked their effects, Kylie’s body moved like she was swimming through pitch. Naomi’s magic was different. It was lighter than air.

Thin wisps of light appeared and disappeared over Naomi’s right hand. She held that hand over the bandages on her left. Then she moved it over her knees and a spot on her thigh. The chanting stopped and the light faded with it. She peeled the bandage off her hand. Any sign there had ever been a cut had vanished.

Kylie sat back, wide-eyed and amazed. “Wow.”

Naomi smiled for the first time since Kylie met her, and that made Kylie smile back. “I’m not a Master Cleric, but I think that’s all the big damage taken care off.”

“It looks like you’re completely healed.” Kylie said, standing to peer over Naomi before realizing she was invading her guest’s space and quickly backing off.

Naomi shook her head and pointed to a small scratch on her upper arm. “Not completely. Completely is something very hard to achieve. Light requires a high level of focus to heal. I could get this scratch now, because I noticed it, but if I just waved the spell over me completely it wouldn’t do much good. There’s probably hundreds of other small bruises and scratches, but the ones that are harder to notice are the hardest ones to heal.”

“Still, that’s an amazing ability.”

“Thank you,” Naomi sighed. She stretched her recently healed fingers. “I’ve spent my life training as a Healing Acolyte. I hope to someday have more impressive abilities than that.”

“Is being an Acolyte different from being a Lightbringer?” Kylie asked. “Sorry, I don’t know how the Order of Rejuvenance works.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m not sure most people do.” She waved her hand around. “I was a Healing Acolyte, but for now I’m the Lightbringer. When my journey is finished and I return home, I continue training as a Proselyte before becoming a Cleric.”

“So, you’re on a journey right now?” With all the titles being thrown about, Kylie wasn’t quite following.

Naomi gently nodded her head. “A Lightbringer is appointed once a generation to quest from our sanctuary in Laryth to the one in Crescentia. There, we perform a ritual to refresh our sacred Light - the fuel and the catalyst for the healing magic of our entire city. 

“Many people now depend on me,” she sighed and looked pleadingly into Kylie’s eyes. “Do you know how I can get to Crescentia?”

Kylie had heard the name of that city before, but it wasn’t one Rodehills had any direct trade with. She thought it might be to the north, but had no certainty. “No, but I think my dad has a map somewhere. I can go look for that.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” She looked around at the room a bit more. Kylie’s room was very plain, consisting of only her bed, a wooden desk with a chair and a couple candles for light, a dresser, and a mat laid on the ground for Kylie to sleep on. Rodehills was a town that had an abundance of what it needed, but very little in excess. The walls were made of the same white stone as the rest of the town. Naomi caught sight of the window on the other side of her and moved a bit further from it. “If you don’t mind and if it’s at all possible, could I go somewhere to take a bath while you look for the map? It’s been a while.”

“Sure, I can show you to the bathroom. Also, feel free to take anything from the dresser, if you want some clean clothes to change into.”

Naomi looked at her questioningly. “Anything?”

Kylie shrugged. “Well, maybe not the dress with the purple flowers? I got that as a birthday present and it has some sentimental value. But clothes are replaceable, help yourself.”

“You’re too kind.” Naomi carefully turned and placed her feet on the ground. She very gently lifted herself up and took a couple shaky steps to the dresser. She looked around in the drawers for a bit before pulling out a simple, plain red dress. “Is this one okay?”

“Like I said, help yourself.”

Naomi slung the dress over her shoulder while she rooted around for some essentials. When she was done, Kylie walked to the door and pointed to the door across the hall. 

“Everything you need should already be in there.” Kylie looked again at Naomi’s shaking legs. She was getting more stable, but clearly wasn’t used to walking again yet. “Please take as much time as you need. I know you’re probably in a hurry and you’re in a strange place and that’s scary, but you need and deserve time to recover. And if you need help please ask for it.”

“Thank you,” Naomi said with a polite smile. She walked past Kylie and into the bathroom, careful not to stumble.

When she heard the sound of running water, Kylie started to look around for the map. It wasn’t hard to find; they didn’t keep much unused furniture or storage space. She found it, along with a small compass, folded up neatly in the drawer in the little cupboard where they kept the gloves and winter coats.

She cleared a couple dirty plates off the table and unfolded the map. It was massive, nearly her complete arm span in width, and extraordinarily detailed, more so than any map she’d seen before. Naomi’s home of Laryth was the first city she found on the map, being the largest and most central point. Her destination, Crescentia, wasn’t hard to locate either. It was another spot on the absolute most northern region of the map. Her eyes traced the path between the two large cities. The hair on her ears raised. Naomi’s intended journey was simply walking north on one of the largest roads in the region. She was likely here on accident, and it wasn’t because she’d simply gotten lost.

Kylie knew that Laryth was east of Rodehills and Nighthills, and so followed roads on the map until she found her home. The map only read Rodehills, which made sense to her. Adding the wolf village to the map would be more effort for her dad than she expected him to go through, if he’d even thought about doing that at all. It took some twists and turns and forks in the road to get to Rodehills and Nighthills from Laryth, but the tiny villages sat a little bit north and far, far to the west of the major city. She couldn’t believe how far off the path Naomi had gotten.

“Kylie?” Naomi asked, her voice muffled by the bathroom wall. 

Kylie walked over to the bathroom door with a bit of extra speed. It didn’t sound like an emergency, but if it was, Kylie couldn’t afford to take her time. As soon as she arrived, she responded “Yeah?”

“I really don’t want to be rude, but I don’t know how to ask this question.”

“Go ahead.” Kylie’s eyes met the floor as she braced herself for the worst.

“Are you a human?” 

Kylie turned and faced the door with an eyebrow raised, despite knowing that Naomi wouldn’t be able to see her confusion. “Huh?”

“Sorry, this whole time I’ve just not been sure if you’re a human, or werewolf, or fae, or if there’s some term I don’t know about that you prefer. I know there’s a lot of different ways that people can look but there’s also so many other beings in the world. And I’m sure there’s more out there than I’ve read about.” Her voice shrank even softer. “I just want to make sure before I make any assumptions that make you uncomfortable.”

“No, thank you for asking.” Kylie felt a little tense in her stomach. All told, she appreciated that she asked rather than assuming, but it still wasn’t the easiest question to answer. “I think I’m mostly a human, but I do have these ears and tail and stuff. I mostly say wolf girl.”

“Alright,” she said, only barely loud enough for Kylie to understand it. “I’ll be out in a little bit.”

“Call me if you need me, okay? I found the map; it and I are gonna be in the main room.”

“Okay.”

Kylie walked away slowly, making sure to listen if Naomi needed anything else. She got back to the main room, sat down in the chair and continued studying the map. There didn’t seem to be any roads between her home and Crescentia. In fact, the only road led south-east, and traveled nearly all the way back to Laryth before finally meeting the large road that traveled north. If Naomi stuck to the roads, she’d essentially have to start her entire journey over. But after all she’d gone through, perhaps starting again would be for the best.

She heard the door open, and turned to look. Naomi stepped out into the hallway, still moving slowly but with the instability in her legs now gone. For the first time, Kylie realized that Naomi was actually quite a bit larger than her. The dress looked very tight around Naomi’s stomach and upper arms, and while the hem went down to slightly below Kylie’s knees, it rode noticeably higher on Naomi. Naomi was staring at the hem, visibly uncomfortable, and seemed to be looking for something to say.

“I don’t know if I have any tops that will fit you better, but there’s a pair of black leggings in the second drawer that might help,” Kylie offered.

Naomi nodded appreciatively, and hurried back to the bedroom. She came back in a moment- the leggings only went down to her shins, though they were meant to reach the ankles, but Naomi still looked relieved.

“I’m sorry we don’t have anything that fits better. I could steal some clothes from my dad, but he’s so big that I don’t know if they’d be any good either.” Kylie was stunned by how different Naomi looked with just a change of clothes. Though it was torn and dirtied, her old, ornate white dress had seemed very appropriate attire for a healing cleric. It felt strange seeing her dressed in plain red and black, and Kylie wasn’t sure if Naomi liked it.

“No, don’t worry about it. You’ve honestly been so generous to me, I don’t think I could ask anything more of you,” Naomi said as she moved toward the table.

Kylie got up from the chair and offered it to her. Naomi seemed to watch Kylie’s tail as it brushed against the seat when she stood. 

“Well I know you don’t want to ask, but I’m hungry, so I’m going to go ahead and make some garlic potatoes. You interested?” Kylie offered, already making her way to the kitchen.

Naomi sat down, glancing at the map but turning back to Kylie while she answered. “That’d be lovely.”

She started looking over the map while Kylie prepared the food. With her head still down, she asked, “You mentioned your father. Where is he?”

Kylie’s pulled out a knife to begin chopping the potatoes. “Oh, he’s out hunting the monster that attacked you.”

“And what became of the monster?” she asked, picking her head up.

“I set it on fire and it ran into the woods,” said Kylie, slicing a few of the small potatoes into chunks.

“Oh.” Worry spread across Naomi’s face. “It attacked you too?”

“Mhmm.” 

“I’m sorry.” Naomi looked sadly at the map again then turned back to Kylie, her face agitated and concerned. “Shouldn’t your father be here taking care of you?”

Kylie’s ears drooped. “Oh, umm. It’s fine. My dad, he’s a good person, but you know, taking care of people just isn’t one of his greatest strengths. I’m sure he thinks tracking it down is the best way to help the both of us. And honestly, yeah, he’s probably doing more good out there than in here.”

“Well, I certainly wish luck and safety for him.” Her look of concern hadn’t faltered.

“Me too.” Kylie looked down at the counter and began chopping the garlic next.

“Forgive me - is he a wolf man?” 

Kylie shook her head no. Naomi gave a gentle nod and carefully returned her attention back to the map.

It didn’t take long for Kylie to finish cooking. She brought the two plates over and set one in front of Naomi. She set hers on the other side of the table, but Naomi waved for her to come sit at her side and pointed to the map. When Kylie sat down next Naomi, they peered over the map while they ate.

“Do you see this town?” She pointed to a little town called Cerflyn slightly north of Laryth.

“Oh, I’ve heard of Cerflyn. It’s the main town our road connects to.”

“The monster attacked me when I was just a few miles north of there, on my way to Crescentia. It drove me into the woods and destroyed the bag where I kept my map and compass. I tried to circle back to the road, but by the time it stopped chasing me I was completely lost. I was in those woods for a least a week. Probably more.” She traced a line from the maple forests down to the road between Rodehills and Cerflyn. “Apparently if I’d just known to go south, I would have hit the road and been able to go back.”

“I’m sorry,” said Kylie.

“Thank you,” said Naomi, still focused on the map. “I spent most of that time without that thing running after me, but it never stopped tracking me. I don't know how it did.”

Kylie traced the line through the forest that Naomi must have travelled. “That distance is way too far for it to be acting out of territorial instinct or anything. What could it have wanted?”

“The only thing I can figure is that it’s hunting the sacred Light.” Naomi said, her face grim.

“And where’s that?”

Naomi looked at her. “Inside my heart. Physically.”

“Oh. Does that hurt?”

“Not really.”

The two finished their plates. Kylie picked Naomi’s up when she suddenly jumped out of her seat.

“I don’t know what to do.” Naomi started rubbing her temples with both hands. “I have to get to Crescentia, I was supposed to be there days ago. And circling back around will probably take another couple weeks, but there’s no path from here to there.”

“Maybe going back home would be a good thing? You could explain the situation, and maybe they could send some people to help you next time. Plus some of the traders here have travelled to Laryth hundreds of times, I’m sure they could help protect you if the monster comes back.”

“I’m supposed to make the journey alone,” Naomi sighed. “The Light is very powerful, and any retainers could be tempted to take it for themselves. The journey is to be made alone and in secret. I’ve already broken the rules simply by telling you about it, but I felt I owed you an explanation.”

Kylie delicately stood up from her chair too, trying to not seem confrontational. “Naomi, those rules put you in an incredible amount of danger. They couldn’t have made them knowing that they’d put you through all this. They have to make an exception.”

Naomi shook her head hard, her hands still covering her face.

“Hey, Naomi? How old are you?”

Naomi mumbled “Seventeen.”

Kylie had known that she was around her age, but hadn’t expected it to be quite that close. There were more important points to focus on, though. “Don’t you think that maybe this is a little bit too much to expect one seventeen-year-old to do alone? Especially when there’s going to be monsters attacking?”

Naomi’s hands moved from her eyes. She was crying. “Even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter. I can’t go back a failure. This is too important for me to fail, I’d just be exiled from the Order. I’d lose my place in the sanctuary, I wouldn’t get to train to be better at healing. Kylie, I’d lose my home.”

Kylie moved in close to her. “Hey, Naomi, I want you to know that absolutely no matter what happens, we can always make a home for you here. I know that’s probably not what you want right now, but I promise you will always have someplace to go if you need it.”

Naomi wiped the tears away from her face. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Do you want a hug?”

Their eyes met. Naomi said “Yes.”

But the instant Kylie’s arms touched hers, she jumped back. Her eyes grew wide and her hands shook.

“Oh, oh,” Naomi mumbled through heavy breath.

Kylie pulled her arms back to her. “What’s-”

“You’re coursing with dark magic. You’ve, you’ve been cursed!” She pointed at Kylie. Kylie shrank backwards. “That’s what’s happened, that’s what I’ve been feeling this whole time. Don’t worry, Kylie, I can pay you back.”

Light wrapped around Naomi’s hand. She held it out and took a step forward. “I can cure you.”

“No!” Kylie shouted, jumping backwards in panic. Her heel kicked the table beside her as she stood, and it screeched along the wooden floor. She didn’t want to scare Naomi, but no one was going to take her changes away from her. Kylie covered her wolf ears with her hands, her fangs bared as she shouted, “Don’t you dare!”

The light vanished from Naomi’s hand. Her eyes grew more fearful. She shook.

“Oh. I- I don’t. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.” Tears again poured down her face. She clutched her arms together. “I don’t understand. I’m so sorry. Thank you for everything, but I have to go. I can’t stay here. Thank you, thank you for offering, though.” 

Kylie felt like she needed to say something, but had no idea what to say.

Naomi continued speaking through tears as she turned toward the door. “You’re cursed, willingly cursed. I’m not supposed to talk to you. I shouldn’t even be in the same room as you. I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry. I just. I have to go.” 

“Wait,” said Kylie. To her surprise, Naomi actually stopped. “I don’t think you should go. But if you really have to, please at least take the map and compass.” 

Naomi turned around back to the table. She was shaking. She wiped the tears off her face, picked up the compass, rolled up the map, and said “thank you,” looking towards the floor the entire time.

“Are you going back to Laryth?” asked Kylie.

“No, I’m going to try and make it through the forest. I have no other choice.” She folded the map into a dress pocket and placed the compass in the other one.

“I don’t like that idea, but if you’re set on it, there was something else on the map.” Kylie paused, but Naomi still wouldn’t look at her. That cut deeply. She had thought they were becoming friends. “The Whitestone Mountains north of the village are a part of the same range as Mt. Crescent. If you stay at the base of the mountains and head northeast, you could follow them the whole way to Crescentia.”

“Thank you.” Naomi said, turning back toward the front door. She stopped before opening it. “Thank you so much. I’m so sorry I have to be this way. I’m not allowed to be around dark magic, and especially not around someone who’s accepted it willingly. I have to leave.”

“I can’t let go of my curses. They’re important to me.” Kylie stood up as tall as she could. “There’s some winter coats, gloves, and packs in the cabinet by the door. Go ahead and take some, it’s going to get cold soon.”

Naomi went to the cabinet, grabbed James’ large blue-grey coat, and put it on. She slipped on his ill-fitting fur-lined boots and threw the accompanying gloves in the large brown travel pack. She tossed the bag over her shoulder then opened the door, and took a single step outside before stopping. The cool night air flowed from the door into the house. Naomi stood frozen in place.

“Is something wrong?” asked Kylie, taking careful steps toward the doorway.

“There’s a massive wolf outside.” Naomi whispered without moving her head. “It’s looking right at me.”

Kylie got close enough to see Asalya laying in the grass outside. She looked peaceful, but Naomi had certainly grabbed her attention. Kylie supposed she understood how that could be worrying.

“That’s Asalya. She’s my best friend.” Kylie got close enough now to see the worry on Naomi’s face.

“Is she, now?”

“She’s also the one who saved you.”

That got Naomi to finally look at her again. “Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, you rode on her back the whole way here. She’s not going to hurt you now.”

“Oh. Okay.” Naomi stepped out of the front door. It took her over a full second to take another step. She kept her eyes focused on Asalya, and Asalya did the same to her. She moved like that, one careful step at a time, out of the house and into the night. Kylie stood in the doorway, not wanting to see her go, but more for Naomi’s sake than hers. Whatever stopped Naomi and her from being friends, whatever rule was the cause of the disconnect between them, Kylie knew better than to think she could fix it. She was who she was, and was proud of it. Still, the young healer had been through so much, and it wasn’t over. She didn’t deserve to have to go through the rest alone.

Naomi finally stopped looking at Asalya. Her gaze turned upward and she turned in a circle until she saw the mountains. She’d found her next destination.

Naomi took a few quick steps toward Asalya, and, with a slight bow, said “thank you” to the wolf. Then she ran to the north and disappeared from sight behind a neighboring house.

When she was gone, Asalya stood up and walked over to the doorway. Kylie stayed focused on the corner of her neighbor’s house, waiting to see if Naomi would reappear in the same spot. She didn’t. Asalya growled and Kylie looked down at her friend.

“I don’t think we became friends,” said Kylie, reaching over to scratch the top of Asalya’s head. “But I’m still worried about her.”

Asalya grumbled and leaned into Kylie’s stomach. Her weight would be enough to take Kylie off her feet, but Kylie had long since learned to adjust to it.

Kylie’s sight again returned to the corner Naomi rounded. “Do you like her, girl? Should we try to keep her safe?”

Asalya looked up at Kylie and barked once. 

Kylie looked around the village, at the small whitestone buildings she’d known all her life. The way the moonlight glimmered off the rock made the village shine like the stars that hung over it. Though she’d never known anything else, she’d always appreciated the beauty of the twin villages, and did so now more than ever. 

“If we go, we’ll have to leave now to catch up with her. We won’t have time to say goodbye to Madeline or your mom, and we may be gone a while. It may even be dangerous.”

Asalya barked again.

Kylie stopped petting her, turned back to the cabinet in the house, and threw on the other pack and winter coat. 

“Let’s go.”

She shut the door and sprinted out into the night, Asalya close by her side. They turned past the neighboring house and sprinted into the woods without hesitation. They dashed around trees and jumped over brush, weaving through the woods with ease. Naomi may have had a bit of a lead, but the forest slowed her. It couldn’t slow them. 

Asalya stopped and changed directions. She’d caught Naomi’s scent. Soon Kylie did as well. A moment later they saw her red dress. Asalya barked.

Naomi turned around with a gasp. Kylie couldn’t understand the look on her face, and whether it was fear, relief, frustration, surprise, or any permutation thereof. That expression wore off, she looked to the ground, then stood tall. Her brow furrowed as she looked Kylie in the eyes.

“You can’t follow me.”

Kylie stared straight back. “I think we just did.”

“I told you, I can’t have any companions.” She looked to the ground again. “Especially not you.” 

Kylie stepped forward, bounding to the other side of a fallen log. “And I can’t have some trainee cleric dragging a horrific beast behind her through the entire land, letting it tear up every forest and threaten to smash every village you come to.”

“There are no villages between here and Crescentia.”

“And who’s to say it’ll stop when we get to Crescentia? You’re carrying the Light back to Laryth, right? There’s a hundred towns between the two. We need to stop that thing.” Kylie pointed to herself and Asalya. “This isn’t about you. We’re wolves. We protect our territory. We hunt. You’re the bait.”

“Whatever your reason, I can’t have companions. It’s not allowed!” She stamped her foot, kicking up some fallen leaves.

“We’re not accompanying you. We’re chasing you,” said Kylie. Asalya stood on the log behind her. Kylie sat down on it and reached up to pet the wolf. “You had one dark being following you, and now you have two. Simple as that.”

“You’re lying to me.” Naomi said, turning her back on them.

“Did your light magic tell you that?”

“No, I’m just not a fool.” She started walking away, brushing some shrub to the side.

“Then you have no way of knowing for sure that I’m lying.” Kylie shrugged. “But I promise we’ll stay back. You won’t receive even a bit of help from us.”

“I bet you’re lying about that too. You’re ridiculously helpful.” She turned to head into the forest, then sighed. “But I suppose there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

Naomi kept on walking into the woods. She looked for the mountains first, but couldn’t see them through the canopy of trees, and instead looked to the compass. As she moved further, she could hear Kylie and Asalya following behind.

“I’m not allowed to thank you.” Naomi said, not even turning around to face them.

“I know.” Kylie rested against another tree while she waited for Naomi to start walking again. When she did, they waited until she was almost out of sight, and followed.