To Walk

Hints

So, I wrote about a quarter to a half of this chapter, and Wattpad decided to have a seizure and erase it ALL.

So, I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit late, I wanted to post it three days ago, buuuut YEP! THANKS WATTPAD

Vote, comment, and ENJOY my suffering.

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RECAP

DAMON RIVERS' POV

          Allowing myself one last glance around the slight clearing as my people gathered up their things, cleaning and erasing the campsite as best they could, I smiled. We were true Survivors.

          Fighters, every one.

         Then I remembered Gad still had to check my shoulder. Nether...

END RECAP

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DAMON RIVERS' POV

          It had been over two months since Lydia joined us, and she had grown, both physically and mentally, during that time. As with all the Survivors, she had thrown herself into the training, memorizing everything from battle tactics to hand-to-hand combat to different animal tracks. She had practiced stealth, scouting, horseriding, and night watch guarding. I was very proud of her, and I knew that, secretly, everyone else was as well. She was still inexperienced, but she was passionate, and constantly strived to be better.

          She was a true fighter. I had seen her training with Candra's scimitars and instinctively knew that those were going to be her main weapons. The recurve bow came at a close second. 

          It was getting late in the year, and the leaves of the birches in the surrounding forest were turning brilliant colors, signaling the start of autumn. The winds were colder and smelled of rain, and the days, once clear and warm, were now overcast and quite cold. We had begun preparing for winter as soon as we had gotten here, but our main plan was to shelter at three different towns during the worst of the snows. This strategy would, unfortunately, leave my team weakened and out of contact, but it would ultimately keep up our cover. Lydia would, undoubtedly, be with my group, as she was the least experienced. I snapped out of my thoughts and refocused on the young girl.

          At the moment, Lydia was learning how to bind up wounds, and I watched as I brought up armfuls of fallen sticks for firewood, stacking them next to the campfire. Sitting astride a fallen oak log around the camp's edge, Gad was instructing her on the finer points of stitching and how to recognize what sort of herb would help with which injuries. Lydia looked focused, and a bit of her tongue showed as she wrapped up an 'injury' on Gad's lower back. As she finished, Gad tested it and nodded approvingly. She looked pleased. 

          Over dinner that night, I sat next to her and nudged her with my arm, "You're doing very well with your training, Lydia."

          She gave me a lopsided smile, "I try to make sure either my head or my body is aching when I go to sleep at night...makes me know I worked hard."

          I nodded in approval, "A good goal, though you must be careful not to push yourself too hard." I shoveled the delicious potatoes and steak into my mouth and chewed for a bit, "You know..." I swallowed, "I've seen you train with Candra's scimitars. I think..."