When The Heart Sings

Chapter 64

Serena's POV:

Darien and I waited in the forest while Alex went to the farm to get the cart. Darien wasn't quite as relaxed as he usually was, and I knew he was keeping an eye out for trouble.

There had been very little traffic on this small road so far, and Saphira had called out a soft warning when anyone was approaching. Alex and Darien had opted in favor of caution and we had hidden deeper in the forest until they passed. We wouldn't be able to do that once we had the cart or got to a busier road.

Darien glanced towards the road and I saw a cart being drawn by a creature similar to the one that had drawn our last cart. The four-legged feathery reptile was a slightly different color, but looked just as energetic. We walked to the edge of the road as Alex slowed the cart. He gestured to the cart with a shrug, "It is much smaller, but it will also be faster."

Darien picked me up before jumping into the cart. He took a seat on the passenger side and put me on his lap as he replied, "It is better than nothing and I somehow doubt you would fancy running all the way to our destination."

Alex chuckled as he flicked the reins to send the creature forward once more, "You may be the next thing to tireless, but my stamina has far shorter limits."

I leaned against Darien with a grin while he wrapped an arm around my waist.

We had turned onto a larger road and it had more traffic on it, not much more, but we were seeing the occasional small group. None of them were fighters, but that didn't stop the startled or dark looks I got. Darien's temper slowly rolled downhill as he glared fiercely at anyone he caught frowning at me.

None seemed inclined to do anything more than glare at me though, so I decided that it wasn't as bad as it could be. I was somewhat nervous, and I was once more reminded of how precarious my survival was among the average group of Tarulk.

I was glad that Saphira and the five other Dranek were somewhere out there watching. If someone did manage to get me away from Darien and Alex, I knew they would intervene.

Alex spoke quietly, "Which camping area do you want to stay in? This area has too many wargs to travel at night or camp without walls."

Darien thought for a bit before responding, "According to that last sign, there are only two campgrounds ahead. Why don't we try the smaller one?"

"Sure, it should be closer, and if it has campers, then we can try the other one."

The feathery creature pulling the cart didn't look any more tired than it had been earlier, and chances were that it was just as tireless as the first one I had played with. I wondered if this one would play fetch too...

We reached the empty camping area not long before the sun started to set. Darien left me on the cart as he jumped down to go open up the gate. This place had a tall wooden fence around it to keep wildlife away from travellers.

Darien closed the gate behind us and Alex unharnessed the creature. It bounded away to run a few laps of the enclosed area as it investigated every corner. I jumped down from the cart and looked around. Darien was already setting up the tent and didn't look like he needed any help.

I went over to Alex to see what I could do to help make camp. "What can I do to help?"

Alex considered it, "You can dig through the flap on that bag to locate the firestarter and see if you can start the fire."

I had seen Darien use the odd two-part firestarter before and knew what I was looking for. There was a pile of firewood by the firepit and I went over to sift through the pile for smaller pieces of wood. I collected an armful of kindling and turned around.

I jumped a bit as I realized that Saphira was standing behind me, although she was facing the other way. She was between me and the creature that had pulled the cart. It must have been coming to meet me and Saphira realized that I didn't know it was approaching. I had no idea how she managed to cross the space between the trees and me without me noticing.

She was relaxed though, and the creature seemed intrigued with the strange blue-skinned person in front of it. It sat on its haunches and chirped at her as its feathery ear tufts perked up almost comically. Alex glanced over and looked surprised to see Saphira. I was glad that I wasn't the only unobservant one.

Saphira held out a hand and quietly whistled to the creature. It came forward without any fear as it checked her out. It dipped its shoulders in play before springing away. It took a few steps forward and Saphira flicked her tail towards it, causing it to jump back before it ran several more laps of the small space with hyper energy.

I put my load of kindling by the fire pit and started building a tee-pee out of the smallest and driest pieces. Saphira once more blocked the creature's approach towards me. I picked up a decent sized branch and threw it to the side, "Fetch."

This creature also apparently knew that word and immediately went to collect the stick. Saphira walked up beside me as the creature came back to offer me the stick. I threw the stick again and it promptly went after it again.

"That is definitely not the brightest creature around. Smart ones would know that if you throw something away that you don't want it."

I laughed at Saphira's comment, "No, but it is cute and easily amused."

Saphira watched my unsuccessful attempts at starting the fire before kneeling down beside me and taking the two pieces from my hands. She slid the one piece against the other. Her first strike had a cascade of sparks falling into the fluffy material used for fire-starting.

I elbowed her playfully, "Showoff."

She briefly grinned at me before turning over the two pieces in her hands as she examined the fire-starter, "This type of starter takes a fair bit of strength to use."

"At least now I know I wasn't doing it wrong." It was a bit disappointing that I wasn't able to do some simple camp chores simply because I lacked a Tarulk's natural strength.

I reached out to touch the heavier armor Saphira was wearing. It was smooth and almost looked like it was enamelled. It wasn't shiny, but it wasn't dull either, something in-between that I had no words for.

Her armor didn't look as serious as the stuff the other five guards had been wearing. It still left her arms and legs unencumbered, although she had arm and shin guards. The other guards had bows, swords, and daggers, while Saphira only carried two long daggers.

Saphira spoke quietly, "The armor is strong enough to stop an arrow and protects vital organs. A strike elsewhere would hurt, but would not be fatal."

I hummed very faintly for a few seconds, conveying a message to Saphira that I would heal her if she was ever hurt. I didn't speak out loud since Alex would hear. I really had to check with Darien if we wanted to let Alex in on my abilities. Saphira closed her eyes and bowed her head momentarily in silent thanks.

I longed for healing and peace, while all those around me were armed to defend against an unprovoked attack.