Robbin

32. A Shared Impulse

Terra knocked on the wood. It was Jake. There was no sign of the rage filled tears she had heard on his face.

"Jake," she breathed, trying to hide the disappointment that it was him. She searched quickly for the right words. "It seems like something's been weighing you down since that demon started following us, and I thought, as a friend, that I'd come and see if you're doing okay."

Jake smiled. "We're friends now, huh?"

She exhaled, worried of giving him the wrong impression. "Yes," she answered carefully.

"Nothing's been bothering me, really," he dismissed.

Was he her friend? she asked herself. She had half a mind to think something bad must have started all the bad the demon had put in his head, but she did depend on him for one thing.

"It wasn't your fault what happened," she offered.

When he didn't answer she returned to her own small room and slipped inside, berating herself for being so stupid as to think it had been Robbin punching walls and sobbing. A returning knock suddenly sounded. She answered wearily.

"I know it wasn't my fault," Jake whispered from outside the entrance.

Terra folded her arms. "Right."

"I've been thinking, what Robbin and his nomads really need is for someone to show them that the threat isn't over with the wolves."

"Oh..." This wasn't exactly where she had expected the conversation to go.

"Don't you think?"

"I—I guess so." Maybe Jake had heroic intentions after all. He had come through on protecting Robbin... but that had just been once. "How would you do that?"

"The thing is, it would take leaving."

"Robbin wouldn't be willing to leave again." Terra's suspicion returned quickly.

He continued. "With my connections, I could go past the wolf border; I could find out what they intend to do and Robbin could know about it before the wolves even make their first move."

She felt like he was giving her a sales pitch.

He looked into her eyes, and when he didn't find what he wanted there, he wished her a good night and disappeared back down the wooden hallway from which he had come.

She stared after him as he left, feeling her trust had been abused. He didn't really expect her to accompany him alone, did he?

She woke in the morning to more knocking. To her relief it was Robbin at her door.

"I've come back from visiting Song. I'm going to a meeting at the diner outside."

She nodded.

"Would you like to come?"

Terra shook her head after a brief hesitation. He didn't need her there. "I think I'm going to wash up a bit."

He nodded and left. It hadn't been a lie. She actually did find her way to the freshwater lake, eerily green from the glowing plants all around, with the moon reflected on the broken glass.

"It's a strange feeling. I feel as if we can't return home until we've finished."

"Finished what?"

"What we were meant to do." Madiera's eyes lit up. It was as if her excitement was contagious.

Terra pondered on the vision she had awoken to that morning and pinched her necklace in her hand. She knew what she had to do.