Chapter Text
The first day without them wasn't particularly difficult.
Wemmbu told himself that, anyway.
He'd woken up, packed his things, and left the camp.
He wasn't going to sit around waiting.
Mane and Flame had a job now.
Important people had jobs.
Important people were busy.
That was all.
They'd said they'd come back.
Wemmbu still had the letter tucked safely away.
He'd read it twice that morning.
Not because he was worried.
Just because he was bored.
Obviously.
A few days passed.
Then a few more.
Wemmbu had gotten used to travelling alone.
It wasn't pleasant.
But it wasn't impossible.
He hunted when he could.
Found shelter when he needed it.
And trained.
A lot.
Mostly because there wasn't anyone around to tell him when to stop.
Wemmbu stood in the middle of a clearing, blindfold covering his eyes.
He could still see through it.
Fiction was weird like that.
He raised his weapon.
"Watch before you move."
Flame's voice echoed in his memory.
Wemmbu frowned.
He waited.
A branch shifted somewhere behind him.
He turned.
Too quickly.
"Too obvious."
Mane's voice.
Wemmbu groaned.
You're not even here."
He lowered his weapon.
Then immediately raised it again.
"Again."
He imagined Mane standing in front of him.
Wemmbu attacked.
Stopped.
Adjusted his footing.
Blocked an imaginary strike.
Then stepped sideways.
Better.
Not good.
But better.
Wemmbu smiled.
"See?"
There was nobody there to answer.
His smile disappeared.
He looked away.
"Whatever."
That evening, Wemmbu reached a small settlement.
He didn't recognize the place.
That was fine.
He wasn't looking for anyone.
He just needed supplies.
He walked between the buildings, blindfold sitting comfortably over his eyes.
A few people stared.
Wemmbu ignored them.
Then someone stepped into his path.
"Hey."
Wemmbu stopped.
Three men stood nearby.
Grown.
Much taller than him.
Wemmbu looked at them.
"What?"
One of them glanced at the weapon at Wemmbu's side.
"Nice weapon."
Wemmbu's hand moved toward it.
"Thanks."
"Mind if we take it?"
Wemmbu stared.
"No."
The man laughed.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Another man stepped closer.
"Hand it over."
Wemmbu's expression hardened.
"No."
The man reached for him.
Wemmbu moved.
Fast.
He ducked underneath the grab and stepped back.
The man blinked.
Wemmbu smiled.
That had worked.
He'd actually—
The man's friend swung.
Wemmbu barely blocked.
The force sent him stumbling backwards.
His feet caught against the dirt.
He recovered.
Watch before you move.
Wemmbu waited.
One of them lunged.
Wemmbu dodged.
Another followed.
He blocked.
For a moment, it worked.
Mane and Flame's training came back to him.
Don't rush.
Watch their shoulders.
Keep your footing.
Wemmbu moved between them.
He managed to avoid another strike.
Then another.
He was getting better.
He knew he was.
But there was one problem.
They weren't training dummies.
They were adults.
And there were three of them.
Wemmbu blocked one attack.
Another came from the side.
He couldn't react quickly enough.
He stumbled.
His weapon slipped from his grip.
"Wemmbu!"
He froze.
For half a second, he thought Mane had shouted his name.
He looked around.
Nothing.
The distraction cost him.
One of the men shoved him backwards.
Wemmbu hit the ground.
He tried to get back up.
Another shove knocked him off balance.
His weapon landed several feet away.
Wemmbu reached for it.
A boot stopped it from getting any closer.
"Got you."
Wemmbu glared up at him.
"Get off."
The man laughed.
"Still got some attitude."
Wemmbu tried to pull himself up.
He couldn't.
Not against them.
Not yet.
He was strong.
He'd improved.
But he wasn't ready.
The men eventually left him alone, taking some of his supplies with them.
They didn't even bother taking his weapon.
Probably because they didn't think they needed it.
Wemmbu remained on the ground for a moment.
Breathing hard.
His pride hurt more than anything else.
He pushed himself up.
Picked up his weapon.
And stared at it.
He'd lost.
Again.
But this time was different.
He knew exactly where he'd gone wrong.
He'd reacted too slowly.
He'd gotten distracted.
He'd forgotten to watch his surroundings.
Flame would've noticed.
Mane would've made fun of him.
Wemmbu sighed.
"Yeah, yeah."
He brushed the dirt from his clothes.
"I know."
That night, Wemmbu found somewhere quiet to sleep.
He pulled out the letter.
He'd kept it folded carefully.
The paper was beginning to crease from being opened so often.
He read the same line again.
We'll bring resources back.
Wemmbu looked at his nearly empty supplies.
Then at the darkness outside.
"They're probably busy."
He folded the letter.
Another thought appeared.
Maybe the job takes longer than they thought.
Wemmbu nodded.
That made sense.
Then another thought.
Maybe they aren't coming back.
Wemmbu immediately shook his head.
"No."
He didn't like that thought.
They'd promised.
Mane had written it.
Mane joked about everything.
But he wouldn't joke about that.
Probably.
Wemmbu tucked the letter away.
"They'll come back."
He lay down.
His blindfold rested over his eyes.
Tomorrow he'd train again.
He'd get stronger.
And when Mane and Flame finally returned—
He'd show them.
He'd show them that he'd actually improved.
Maybe they'd be impressed.
Probably not.
Mane would definitely say something annoying.
Flame would pretend he wasn't impressed.
Wemmbu smiled.
Then closed his eyes.
For now, he believed them.
But somewhere in the back of his mind, a tiny question had appeared.
One he wasn't ready to ask.
How long was "soon"?